Title: Separation and Suicide

User: Swami Gaurangapada Date: 2007-03-13 15:08:56

 

 

I have read in the texts of the acharyas that certain devotees after losing physical assocation of the lord or guru have felt extreme distress and considered or attempted suicide?what is this?  i was alway taught that suicide is not proper conduct.

 

 

Answer by Swami Gaurangapada:

 

Yes there so many pastimes like that in the 15,000 verse great classic Bhakti Ratnakara. Shrila Shrinivasa Acharya Thakura wanted to terminate his pastimes because wherever he went he saw that the great intimate associates of the Lord were disappearing.

 

This cannot be imitated by an normal spiritual sadhaka. It is only in the advanced levels of bhakti one feels intense grief on loosing the association of other pure devotees and does not feel that one's life is worth living without their sublime association. The separation from a pure devotee is greatest misery in creation as per Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita.

 

The suicide mentality in this material world is on the materialistic bodily platform and that is why it is sinful and has tremendous reactions involved because it means taking the law in our own hands.

 

But on the advanced platform of the soul, advanced souls cannot bear the separation from other advanced souls as both of them are directly engaged in the service of the Lord in the spiritual world even while remanining in this material world. Thus they may also think of terminating their pastimes in this material world and going back to join their departed devotee associates in the pastimes of the Lord.I hope this makes sense.

 

Yours in service, Swami Gaurangapada.