 The process of dying is a part of life, part of one's biography, and depending on the cultural and religious background, this last phase of life stipulates existential questions of meaning, sociological directives, and modes of conduct facing the collapse of the body. Philosophies call upon metaphysics and ontologies. Religions affirm existences after death, and especially the modern society abounds in deliberations and counseling for a good way of dying. The Ars Moriendi is indeed an old and wide field and also an ever-actual one. Aspects of the Jaina Ars Moriendi are the topic of my paper here. I shall first shortly introduce the texts and describe two significant ways of dying. The main section is divided into one, the end of life by renouncing food, and two, ending one's life by killing oneself. These special cases of recommended suicide will be illustrated by the respective stories. Harishena Spriat Katakosha from 931 CE is the oldest of a group of Katakoshas called Aradana Koshas. Of special importance and interest is the explicit role and function of the stories which are supposed to illustrate doctrinal tenets for life and death, and are narrated at the death bed of the person who had decided to end life by renouncing food. These compilations are based on a much earlier Aradana text called the Mula Aradana, or Bhagavati Aradana, authored by Shivadia, belonging to the pro-Khanon of the Digambaras. Shivaya states are not known, scholars give reasons to place the author around the first century CE. Considering Shivaya's statement, that he relies on an older, more voluminous text, and considering the continuum of commentaries, and I name here only the Yāpanī aparajita from 700, around 700, Amitagati of the 11th century, and Ashadara of the 13th century, and considering the various Katakoshas based on Shivadia's work, one might assume that this Aradana tradition was alive and productive for more than one and a half millennia, since Naminathas Aradana Katakosha is from the 16th century. I come to my first part, end of life by renouncing food. The Bhagavati's Aradana is a special work about voluntary dying and about the hour of death, especially of Jain monks and nuns, but also of lay people. Aradana is explained in verse two, and all these verses are on the handout. It's explained in verse two as, illuminating, undertaking, performing, reaching and mastering, faith, knowledge, conduct and penance. It is essential for liberation that this Aradana takes place at the end of life. Verse 15, even though for a long time, transgressions with respect to knowledge, faith and conduct have been avoided when the Aradana at death is missed, then Zanzara is regarded endless. On the other hand, it is said in verse 17, it happened that primarily wrong believers gained final perfection in an instant when they observed the Aradana of right conduct. Therefore, the Aradana is the highest. That means that at the critical hour of death, the acidic standard of detachment, forbearance and self-restraint is upheld. Even a lifelong faultless conduct is forfeited if at the hour of death the Aradana is hampered. That can happen, for example, through a Nidana or any other breach of detachment. On the other hand, a substantial purification of the soul and in the best case, the final liberation as the fruit of Aradana would also be possible if this perfection happens only at the hour of death. Although usually a preparatory pure conduct is necessary. Then the question arises, verse 18, if the Aradana at death is the core of the teaching, then why should one make special efforts at all before the time of death? Why should one be austere and be careful about good conduct? The answer is given in verse 19 to 20. It is easier to perfect the Aradana if one is prepared. Like, and here comes the warrior metaphor, like the prince regularly trains with weapons thinking when the entire sensorium is fit, when I master my skills, I will be able to cope with my task in battle. And so the ascetic keeps up with the discipline, thinking. With the control over my sensorium, when I master my duties, I'll be able to maintain meditation while lying. The battlefield metaphor is even stretched further when the well-trained prince after the victory over his enemies grasped the banner of royal power. And this is compared to the mendicant who overcomes his adversaries, like wrong faith, et cetera, and grasped the banner of Aradana on the well-prepared death bed. The Bhagavati Aradana elaborates in over 2,000 kathars the details of the fourfold Aradana in the light of the last phase of life in view of dying and death, the Jaina doctrine is recapitulated in order to convince the seeker or to strengthen the decision of the renouncer, sorry. Of the 17 types of death, which are listed, five are described and evaluated according to the kind of degree of Samyaktva. Balabala Marana means the death of wrong believers. Bala Marana, the death of right believers without Samyakcharitra. Bala Pandita is the death of lay people with Samyakcharitra. Pandita Marana, Marana is the death of monks with Samyakcharitra. And Kevalins die the Pandita Pandita death. One should note that the Salekana is not a type of death. The term means the scratching out of impurities of the body as well as of the mind, the kshayas, and it is a long-term preparation to one of the recommended deaths. The keeping of the vow of Salekana can take from six months to 12 years. Now I come to the Pandita death and it has three varieties. Bhakta Pratyakyana is giving up food with assistance. It's a kind of assistant dying. Ingini is dying in solitude with certain movements without assistance. Paryopagamana, the very well-known, dying in solitude without movement and without assistance. The first variety of these, the Bhakta Pratyakyana, forms the bulk of the Bhagavati Aradhana. It is described in 40 chapters, covering more than 1,000 verses. The reason for this prominence is probably that this assisted death is a public affair and exposes the characteristics of the Jaina discipline to the members of the community as well as to the unlocals. Here I'm not going to present all the steps from the initial decision to the disposal of the corpse. I'm only sketching the context for the kind of support which is given to the one who has chosen to die this death. It starts with araha or fitness of the person for this kind of death and then lists outer signs of the one willing to undertake the renunciation of food. One of the relevant signs is nudity. This is also valid for women. And this points to the possibility of liberation of women which the gamaras would otherwise deny because female nudity is regarded as impracticable. Then comes the decision for dying by starvation, leaving the congregation and going to another gana. One should note here, it is the decision of the aradaka. He does not have to ask for permission. He looks for a suitable niryapaka, a superintendent of the last rite. Such a niryapaka not only has to have thorough knowledge of the scripture of the monk's discipline and be endowed with devotion and self-discipline, he has to have special abilities. He has to be an effective speaker and be a renowned narrator of different kinds of stories. His role is like that of a captain of a ship filled with jewels and set a sail on a rolling sea. After the admission and confession of sins, a proper place is selected which has enough room for the kshapaka, the aradaka, the superintendent and for the attendant monks, and a hall for preaching the dharma and telling exemplary stories to the pious visitors. For the assistance of the aradaka on his deathbed, 48 monks are appointed. Out of these 40, four narrate religious stories in a pleasing and impressive manner which can aid the aradaka in his task. The aradaka then renounces food even when it is shown to him. He gradually leaves out solid food, then liquids. He begs for forgiveness and forgives everyone and practices various austerities in order to destroy karma. Then the niryapaka, the superintendent himself, sits by his side and instructs him. This is the anushishti. He unfolds the jaina doctrine with an emphasis on the disgust with worldly life and longing for salvation. The teaching includes appropriate similes and stories in order to support the tenants. In the context of storytelling, the communicative sitting is remarkable. In verse 720, it is said that the niryapaka gives the doctrinal teaching arousing the desire for emancipation and disgust by murmuring into the aradaka's ear. The aradaka feels physical pain and mental pain due to hunger and thirst and the rising of karmas. In this phase, the niryapaka is a constant, attentive companion and exhorts and supports the aradaka when he suffers afflictions. He imparts to him the kabacha, the religious instructions as a protection or an armor against the parisahas, the afflictions. He reminds him of certain great men who stood firm in all calamities. The persuasive influence of the trustworthiness of a fictional character is recognized throughout. 19 verses of this section refer to the life stories of 19 sages like Badarabahu, Chanakya, Anikaputra, et cetera, who all died an exemplary death. None of them, it should be noted, died an assistant public death. Some of them had to bear horrible pains when they were roasted on a rock eaten by foxes, crushed in oil mills, pierced by arrows, and others emaciated their bodies and died in solitude in Kayotsarga. The niryapaka reminds the suffering aradaka that he has good assistance by the attending monks and himself who impart to him the nectar-like work of the jinnah. So he should be able to reach the highest aim. Then he utters the following remarkable metaphor which in a given context is a transfer of realities. He tells him that he is being given drink in the form of stories narrated by the monks, that he is receiving food in form of the advice offered by the niryapaka, and that his own meditation which he has always pursued is medicine. After the kavacha, which is a prominent and elaborate stage of the rite, the aradaka gains equanimity and pursues his meditative way to the end. I'm coming to part two, killing oneself. The section prior Pagamana, so the third section in the Pandita Marana, entails in five verses the explicit affirmation of the possibility to end one's life by killing oneself in an abrupt and active way. And it gives four exemplary stories to illustrate this point. It says that in case the accomplished renouncers who are firm in the endurance of hardships are confronted with very serious difficulties, when arms are hard to get, and there are hindrances everywhere, they die also by taking recourse to some other means. It's on the handout. In the following four verses, the names of the protagonists and a very short account of their deeds is given in the Bhagavati Aradhana. The Brihatkatakosha and the related Aradhanakoshas narrate the stories at length and with slight variations. I'm going to paraphrase and summarize two plots, concentrating on the protagonist's ending of their lives. It says in verse 2073 of the Bhagavati Aradhana. Dharmasimha of Kozala reached his aim in Kolagiri by means of dying by vultures after having left his wife Chandra Siri. That's the verse. And the Brihatkatakosha tells it in detail, and I'm going to summarize it. Dharmasimha Katha. King Dharmasimha was happily married to Queen Chandra Sri until the time when he heard the sermon by Dhamavara, teaching the Jain Dharma. He renounced the world and wandered off as a mendicant. Since Chandra Sri felt very depressed about the loss of her husband, her brother started looking for him. He disturbed his tapas several times with his horrifying voice and forced him back to his royal and family affairs. The king, however, renounced the world again and got initiated a second time. His brother-in-law kept searching for him. Once Dharmasimha, the royal mendicant, saw his brother-in-law running after him and decided to die, lest his vow be broken again. He made his confession and renouncing his life, he placed himself into the cadaver of an elephant. He died in Samadhi and became a radiant god. That's the story. Placing himself in the cadaver of an elephant means the Dharmasimha chose to be eaten up by vultures since they would tear and pick up the entire cadaver. The death by vultures is enumerated as the 13th of the 17 types of death, as a kind of self-killing by placing oneself among dead animals to be eaten up by vultures. It is accepted under certain precarious circumstances when the right path is impossible to be followed. Of the following story, the synopsis in the Bhagavati Aradhana is given in the next verse. When for the sake of his daughter, the father-in-law of Usha Bassena hindered him from keeping his vow, Usha Bassena reached his aim by hanging himself. It is not necessary to relate the story in detail here, since the plot and the calamity are similar to the story we just heard. The only difference is the mode of killing by hanging. As can be seen from these two stories, killing oneself without long preparation and elaborate rights is under certain circumstances acceptable and grants access into a heaven, into a heaven. The following two instances are somewhat surprising by the use of weapons and also by the particular circumstances. The synopsis is given in the Bhagavati Aradhana in order to avert a public outrage, a gun-in killed himself with a weapon. When the Buddhist Abhimaraka, who had feigned to be a Jaina monk, had murdered the king. And the pre-hatkatakosha gives the story. Jaya Sena, king of Shavasthi, was Buddhist and his guru was Shiva Gupta. Once the Jain Acharya Yati Virishabha came to the town and his sermon on Jaina Dharma convinced the king completely so that he became an ardent shravaka who converted his family and his country to the Jaina faith. Much to the annoyance of his former Buddhist guru, Shiva Gupta. Shiva Gupta plotted against the king and engaged the Buddhist layperson, Abhimara, to murder the king. This Abhimara approached the Acharya Yati Virishabha and bowed to him full of false devotion. Once the king went to the temple where Yati Virishabha practiced tapas. In order to pay homage to him, he left his entourage outside and entered the inner hall. Abhimara with fake devotional attitude also made his way inside, where there were now just these three persons in the sanctuary. When the king bowed to the Acharya and touched the ground, Abhimara stabbed him with a sharp knife in his throat and disappeared. The Acharya saw that the king was dead and immediately realized that the situation was very dangerous for the Jaina community and he knew that to avert the impending danger he had to make a self-sacrifice, a atma gatha. With the blood of the king, he rode with his hand on the wall. This deed was committed not by me, but by Abhimara. But apprehensive of the reproach by the people and to avoid public calamity, I am killing myself in accordance with my status of a muni. After the self-reproach and the other prescribed actions, he performed renunciation of everything and resided to the Panjanamaskara mantra. Then the righteous one took the knife and cut open his belly. He regained Samadhi Marana and went to heaven. The king's son arrived at the spot, saw the dead bodies informed the Sangha and read aloud what the Acharya had written on the temple wall. He lived on as a Pious Jaina. The fourth and last instance of doctrinally recognized self-killing tells of Shakadala, a minister of the ninth king Nanda who became a monk. The synopsis goes, in the same way, Shakadala, a monk with Acharya Mahapadma, reached the aim by killing himself with a weapon because Vararuchi, by some device, instigated the rage of King Nanda against him. In short, Shakadala forestalled the king's order to kill him by cutting his belly before the king's man arrived. This story is classified on the Shastra Marana, indicating once more that this act of self-killing is accepted and accords with the Aradhana principles. In conclusion, I like to hint at some points, few points, which contradict common assumptions about the Jaina way of dying, which I take out from the Bhagavati Aradhana. First, the Aradaka does not have to ask for permission to end his life. He simply has to announce his decision. Secondly, women according to the Bhagavati Aradhana can choose Pandita Marana and perform it in unity. Third, killing oneself even by means of a weapon is condoned under certain circumstances. And to end, the ideal and the process of voluntary death described in the Bhagavati Aradhana is in itself a very consistent system, representing an outline of Jaina individual as pathology and its stringent emphasis on the hour of death. It rests on the Jaina view of karma, rebirth and liberation. And thank you for your attention.