MATERIAL ESPECIALIZADO SEGÚN MONTESSOR

An analysis of Hindu scriptures throws light on how religions perceived suicide in the early history of Indian subcontinent. Sati in some parts of India was one such practice where a widow committed ritual suicide on her husband’s funeral

59

pyre among certain communities. Self-immolation of by the widows was only ceremonious during the Vedic period. Hymns from Atharvaveda and Rigveda indicate that though the widow lied down beside the deceased husband on the funeral pyre, she was asked to rise and leave and live with a new spouse to a life of progeny and property. The pyre was set ablaze after that. In the later scriptures, namely in Brahmanas, one of the relevant concepts related to suicide is in the context of a man’s duties and obligations towards Gods, perpetuation of the family and cultural heritage. Social obligations act as a deterrent against suicide. There is also a reference to asramas, an idea which emphasises that human need and aspirations must change over a period. In the later Upanishads, there are indications about choosing voluntary death in a heroic manner and emancipation from samsara, provided a reason for seeking a religious basis for committing suicide (Crawford, 1994, p.54).

Subsequently, under the influence of scriptures and traditions, norms of life regarding the morality of suicide were developed, which passed on through medieval and modern times. Sanskrit texts pertaining to religious and legal duty known as Dharmashatras consider suicide as a major sin. This is evident in

Parasara samhita which mentions the confinement of the spirit of the person

who commits suicide in hell for sixty thousand years, denial of rites of

cremation, restrictions on survivors to express grief and performing liberation rituals to the soul (Brick, 2010).

Similarly, sage Vasistha defines suicide as “one who destroys himself by means of wood, water, clods of earth, stones, weapons, poison or a rope.” He cites law to prohibit family members from performing cremation rituals and prescribes a penance to the priest who performs last rites. He also recommends that a survivor of suicide attempt should observe penance for twelve days as a penalty. To discourage people from committing suicide, Kautilya in his political treatise Arthashatra (ca. A.D 320-480) proposes that the body of the person who commits suicide be dragged through the streets by an untouchable and be denied of cremation rites. He further says that the person who performs funeral rites for a person who committed suicide will be denied funeral rites and will be excommunicated by the relatives. Other Hindu lawmakers like Manu,

60

achieve merit. These can be in two circumstances-- where a person decides to take mahaprasthana, a great journey on the account of inability to perform ascribed duties because of an affliction leading to a sensing of death. Another exception is for sinners who want to atone themselves. Similar to the Judeo- Christian acts of sacrifice or martyrdom, in the case of religious oppression some sects of Hindus used suicide as a protest to blame their act on the perpetrators of oppression. Buddhism considers suicide as a negative act. According to the Buddhist theory of Karma, the past acts have an influence on current life and current acts determine future life. The negative thoughts which force one to commit suicide will haunt the person in the next life (Crawford, 1994, p. 54).

Some of the modes of suicide described in the Hindu scriptures are by fire, by drowning in holy rivers, leaping from a tower or a cliff and through fasting. Fasting or starving one-self to death was practiced by Jains in later years. The practice of self-immolation through the practice of sati was observed to have spread in the nations controlled by the Brahmins as they used it as a means to control the property of the widows by tweaking the passage in Rigveda. Jauhar or mass sati was performed by the wives of the defeated Rajput kings to protect themselves from degradation and humiliation in the hands of the victors (Arnold & Robb, 1995, p. 46).

In the colonial times, there are instances of legal restrictions enforced by the British on religion related suicide in India. Legislation was passed in1802

prohibiting suicide by jumping in water in the island of Sagar. Though there was resistance from the Hindus citing non-interference in religious matters, the British government introduced conditional restrictions on the practice of sati, which increased during the early 1800s around Calcutta. The prohibition of sati was under the circumstances where the widow was i. unwilling; ii below 16 years of age; iii. Pregnant; IV. Drugged or intoxicated; v. mother of a child who was below three years. These restrictions also applied to another practice observed in East Bengal among Jogis, who buried the widows along with the husband. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a social reformer, relentlessly campaigned against this practice and convinced the British government that it would not amount to religious interference, as sati is not enshrined in the scriptures. The

61

British government finally abolished this practice in 1829 under the leadership of a Benthamite, Lord William Bentinck (Crawford, 1994, p. 64).

A case of sati was reported in Rajasthan state in the year 1987. Roop Kanwar, an 18 year old Rajput woman immolated herself on her husband’s pyre. The State government under a lot of pressure from various quarters charged her husband’s family and other villagers and local politicians for abetment and arrested them. Though the trial did not indict any of them, it evinced a lot of interest from activists, law makers and civil society. Roop Kanwar’s sati was reported to be the 40th incident of sati in post-independent India. Some attempts to sati were reported from some parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh after this incident. The ensuing debate highlighted that though sati law was

successful in preventing the practice, religious glorification remains a concern (Divya, 2009).