Holy Death (Sallekhanā)

The death is defined as the destruction or termination of the mode of human or other state of birth.

This death has five varieties :

(1)Extreme Prudent’s Death : The destroyed passioned and Venerable omniscients die with extreme prudent’s death. It means the death of the omniscients is named as extreme prudent’s death (Nirvāṇa).

(2)Prudent’s Death : The death of persons between the spiritual stages from sixth to eleventh one is called the prudent’s death.

(3)Fool-Prudent’s Death : The death of persons at the fifth spiritual stage of partial restraint is called the fool-prudent’s death.

(4)Fool’s Death : The death of persons in the fourth spiritual stage of non-restrained right faith is called fool’s death.

(5)Extreme Fool’s Death : The death of the wrong-faithed living beings and death by suicide and accident etc. is called extreme fool’s death. These living beings are used to die this way only.

Prudent’s Death

There are three forms of Prudent’s death :

(1)Unserved Renunciated Death (Pādopagamana, Prāyopagamana Maraṇa): The death of a saint which takes place under meditation and fasting by going on foot to a suitable place by leaving his group (of saints) is called Pādopagamana or Prāyopagamana Maraṇa.

In this death, the saint neither serves his body by self nor he gets it served by other saints. This kind of death is accepted by the saints of specifically strong bone-jointed body.

(2)Death by Renunciation of Foods and Drinks (Bhakta-pratijnā or Bhakta- Pratyākhayāna Maraṇa): This is the death resulting from the gradual abstinence of foods and drinks and under proper meditation. In this death, one may expect services from others and by self also.

(3)Self-served Renunciated Death (Inginī Maraṇa): The term ‘ingiṇi’ means internal gesture of the self. It is, therefore, the death resulting from self-gesture without being served by others but served by himself. In this death, the other saints do not serve the specified saint.

In this fifth spoke of devolution period, the saints do not have the necessary strong body structure to undertake Unserved renunciated death or self-served renunciated death. Hence only the death by gradual renunciation of foods and drinks is elaborated here.

Two Kinds of Death by Renunciation of Foods and Drinks

There are two kinds of death by renunciation of foods and drinks :

The saint or votary has a thoughtful death by renunciation of foods and drinks who has a strong body and high resolution power and who has an idea about his death after some time. In contrast, the death of a weak saint occurring accidentally or suddenly is called thoughtless death.

The minimum duration of this type of death ritual is an Antarmuhūrta (app. 48 minutes) and the maximum duration is twelve years. In other words, if any saint learns through his omenological knowledge etc., about his death within twelve years, he accepts the vow of holy death of maximum duration.76

The description of how the saint should spend his maximum duration of twelve years of holy death, is now elaborated. The saint should spend the first four years out of twelve years by undertaking different types of austerities like

The next four years should be spent by undertaking the austerity of gradual renunciation of tasty foods. Afterwards, one should have under-eating and tasteless eating for two years. The next one year should be spent with small amount of foods. Tater, one should undertake the minor austerities for six months followed by undertaking of superior austerities for six months.

Thus, the prescribed method of twelve years of excellent holy death ritual has been detailed here. In other words, the holy-death ritual through gradual renunciation of foods and drinks is meant for leaning the passions resulting in the thinning of body leading to peaceful death.

When the head of the saints has to undertake his own holy death vow, he hands over his charge to one of his capable disciples, leaves his group and undertakes the process in some other group of saints. Alternatively, he may undertake it in his own group also.

The saints, who undertake this vow, are called ‘kṣapakas’ (destroyers of karmas) and the saints who ordain or cause the saints to undertake this vow in a prescribed way, are called ‘Expiation / holy death preceptors’ (Niryāpakas).

The Head-Saints have advocated the presence of 48 saints when a saint undertakes the vow of holy death. They let him undertake the vow of holy death in a proper place and, then, perform various duties as described below .

• (1)Four saints serve the mortifier saint to raise him, to get him seated and so on so that there may be no difficulty in observance of restraint.
• (2)Four saints cause him to listen to the religious scriptures.
• (3)Four saints cause him to take foods as prescribed by Acārānga (Book on Monastic Conduct).
• (4)Four saints arrange for the potable drinks for him.
• (5)Four saints try to protect him.
• (6)Four saints remove the filthy excretions of the body of the saint.
• (7)Four saints remain at the door of the place where the saint is undertaking his holy death vow.
• (8)Four saints arrange and address the visitors to the saint.
• (9)Four saints take care of the saint in the night while awake.
• (10)Four saints judge the situation of the country and public.
• (11)Four saints tell the religious stories to the outside visitors.
• (12)Four saints refute the alien doctrines through debates.

Thus, these forty eight holy death preceptor saints try to get the saint cross the ocean of weary world through their care in maintaining the meditation and equanimity of the mortifier saint. If one does not get the required number of holy death preceptor saints, one can arrange the above activities with the number of saints available at the time. However, it is necessary that at least two saints must be there.

Thus, the saints or liberatable beings having a holy death have seven or eight rebirths to the maximum and two to three rebirths to the minimum in this world. Afterwards, they attain the bliss of salvation.