Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Suicide Paradigm: Insights from Ancient Hindu Scriptures

  • Impressionistic Reporting
  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The world religions in general promote peace and happiness. They strongly discourage all sorts of violence in society including suicide. Religious commitments toward life-saving value are known to prevent suicide attempts since all world religions promote unity, reducing interpersonal hostilities. Therefore, understanding the basics on what religious scriptures narrate on life and death including suicide is essential. This paper highlights the seldom discussed topic on the concept and consequences of suicide portrayed in the ancient Hindu religious scriptures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  • Agoramoorthy, G. (2011). Are women with mental illness and the mentally challenged adequately protected in India? Indian Journal of Medical Research, 133, 552–554.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Agoramoorthy, G. (2014). Spiritual seekers and gurus in contemporary Hindu society. Society, 51, 558–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agoramoorthy, G. (2015). Sacred rivers: Their spiritual significance in Hindu religion. Journal of Religion and Health, 54, 1080–1090.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Agoramoorthy, G., & Chakraborty, C. (2015). India’s budget reduction and AIDS initiatives. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 15(6), 636.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Agoramoorthy, G., & Hsu, M. J. (2011). Suicide in Taiwan’s society. Journal for General Social Issues, 1, 137–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appleby, L. (1989). Near death experience. BMJ, 298, 976–977.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bodhasarananda, S. (2007). The complete works of Swami Vivekananda. Kolkata: Advaita Ashrama.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bordereau, C., Robert, A., Van Tuyen, V., & Peppuy, A. (1997). Suicidal defensive behavior by frontal gland dehiscence in Globitermes sulphureus Haviland soldiers (Isoptera). Insectes Sociaux, 44(3), 289–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourgeois, M. (1987). Are there animal models of suicidal behavior? Psychologie Medicale, 19, 739–740.

  • Chaturvedi, B. K. (2000). Vishnu Purana. Delhi: Diamond books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaturvedi, B. K. (2002). Garuda Purana. Delhi: Diamond books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coward, H. G., Lipner, J., & Young, K. K. (1989). Hindu ethics: Purity, abortion, and euthanasia. New York: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daube, D. (1972). The linguistics of suicide. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1, 387–437.

  • deCatanzaro, D. (1980). Human suicide: A biological perspective. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 265–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dervic, K., Oquendo, M. A., Grunebaum, M. F., Ellis, S., Burke, A. K., & Mann, J. J. (2004). Religious affiliation and suicide attempt. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161(2303), 2308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deshpande, N. A. (2014). Padma Purana. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doniger, W. (2000). The laws of Manu. Delhi: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1897). Le suicide. Paris: Felix Alcan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrlich, P. R. (2000). Human natures: Genes, cultures and the human prospect. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eskin, M. (2004). The effects of religious versus secular education on suicide ideation and suicidal attitudes in adolescents in Turkey. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39, 536–542.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ganguli, K. M. (2013). The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa book 17 Mahaprasthanika Parva. Delhi: Spastic Cat Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardgrave, R. L. (1998). The representation of Sati: Four eighteenth century etchings by Baltazard Solvyns. Bengal Past and Present, 117, 57–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawley, J. S. (1994). Sati, the blessing and the curse: The burning of wives in India. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helliwell, J., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. (2014). World happiness report. New York: Columbia University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Institute, S. A. S. (2000). SAS/ETS software: Changes and enhancements. Release 8.1. Cary, North Carolina: SAS Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jagannathan, S. (2015). Hinduism: An introduction. Mumbai: Vakils, Feffer and Simons Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C. J., & McGee, M. G. (1998). How different religions view death and afterlife. Philadelphia: Charles Press Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalyanaraman, S. (2008). Vedic river Saraswati and Hindu civilization. Delhi: Aryan Books International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, P. V. (1958). History of Dharmasastra. Ancient and mediaeval religious and civil law. Delhi: Nobel Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keown, D. (1996). Buddhism and suicide: The case of Channa. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 3, 83–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, S. B. (2000). They who burned themselves for peace: Quaker and Buddhist self-Immolators during the Vietnam War. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 20, 127–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, B. (2014). How animals grieve. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koshiro, T. (1988). Shi no oboegaki (Memoranda on death). Bukkyo shiso, 10, 465–475.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leming, M., & Dickinson, G. E. (2010). Understanding dying, death, and bereavement. Boston: Wadsworth publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lester, D. (2006). Suicide and Islam. Archives of Suicide Research, 10, 77–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lewington, A. (2012). Ancient trees: Trees that live for a thousand year. New York: Batsford Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. R., & Cusack, C. M. (2014). Sacred suicide. Farnham: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, P. C. (1999). Confusian ethics death with dignity and its contemporary relevance. Annual of the Society of Christian Ethics, 19, 313–333.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, F. D. (2005). Mental health and well-being in animals. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

  • Narayanan, V. (2009). Hinduism. New York: Rosen Classroom.

    Google Scholar 

  • NCRB. (2014). Accidental deaths and suicide in India 2013. Delhi: National Crimes Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nydegger, R. (2014). Suicide and mental health. Connecticut: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, V. (2003). The Ganges: And other Hindu holy places. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pattnaik, D. (2006). Myth = mithya: A handbook of Hindu mythology. Delhi: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pescosolido, B. A., & Georgiana, S. (1989). Durkheim, suicide and religion. American Sociological Review, 54, 33–48.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pool, R. (2009). Why do people die that way? New Scientist, 201, 37–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preti, A. (2011). Do animals commit suicide? Does it matter? Crisis, 32(1), 1–4.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rajagopalachari, C. (2010). Mahabharata. Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsden, E., & Wilson, D. (2010). The nature of suicide: Science and the self-destructive animal. Endeavour, 34, 21–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rangarajan, L. N. (1987). Kautilya: The Arthashastra. Delhi: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruder, T. D., Hatch, G. M., Ampanozi, G., Thali, M. J., & Fischer, N. (2011). Suicide announcement on Facebook. Crisis, 32, 280–282.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schrader, F. O. (1912). The minor Upaniṣads, critically edited for the Adyar library Theosophical society by F Otto Schrader. Madras: The Adyar library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shastri, J. L. (2014). Linga Purana. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Subramaniam, K. (2012). Srimad Bhagavatam. Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stietencron, H. (1967). Suicide as a religious institution. Bharatiya Vidya, 27, 7–24.

  • Tagare, G. V. (2014). Kurma Purana. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vishwanath, P. (1917). Ancient royal Hindu marriage customs. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 47, 31–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warrier, S. (2014). Kamandalu: The seven sacred rivers of Hinduism. London: Mayur University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., & Jin, S. (1996). Determinants of suicide ideation: A comparison of Chinese and American college students. Adolescence, 31, 451–467.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Science Council of Taiwan (ROC) through a grant (MOST103-2632-E-127-001). Tajen University’s Research Center for Happiness Science and Technology extended additional support for this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Pharmacy and Health Care, Tajen University, Yanpu, Pingtung, 907, Taiwan

    Govindasamy Agoramoorthy

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan

    Minna J. Hsu

Authors
  1. Govindasamy Agoramoorthy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Minna J. Hsu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Minna J. Hsu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Human or Animal Rights Statement

This paper did not involve the participation of humans or animals.

Informed Consent

This paper does not involve any informed consent.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Agoramoorthy, G., Hsu, M.J. The Suicide Paradigm: Insights from Ancient Hindu Scriptures. J Relig Health 56, 807–816 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0178-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-015-0178-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation