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Svecchāmṛtyu (Sanskrit: स्वेच्छामृत्यु) {Sva (self) + iccha (will) + mrityu (death)} is an adjective which means - having death at one’s own power or dying at one’s own will [1] It is also sometimes called Icchāmṛtyu (इच्छामृत्यु) meaning "self-willed death" but it is not to be confused with immortality or self-inflicted death.
Shantanu had granted to his son Gangaputra Devavrata, also known as Bhishma, the supernatural power of Svecchamrityu. Mahabharata records that Bhishma did choose the time and manner of his own death.[2]
In the course of his visit to Amarnath cave, Swami Vivekananda had the vision of Lord Shiva in the cave and was blessed with the boon of death-at-will (iccha-mrityu).[3] He had predicted that he would not live forty years, he did not.
Acquaintances of Mahatma Sisir Kumar and Pandit Dinabandhu Vedantaratna also attest to the fact that they have willed their own death.[4]
The Svadhishthana Chakra is the Abode of the Tattva Apas; one conquers death with the awakening of this chakra.[5] As one of the twenty-six siddhis that form part of Kundalini yoga, Iccha-mrityu siddhi gives the yogi the power to die at will.[6] According to Aurobindo the sadhaka of Integral yoga aims at complete liberation from all attacks of illness, and the power to prolong life at will – Iccha-mrityu.[7]
References
- ^ "Sanskrit Dictionary". Spokensanskrit.de.
- ^ Mahabharata. Motilal Banarsidass. 2000. pp. 21, 355. ISBN 9788120817197.
- ^ Bansi Pandit (2001). The Hindu Mind. New Age Books. p. 323. ISBN 9788178220079.
- ^ Mrinal Kanti Ghosh (July 2003). Life Beyond Death. Genesis Publishing. pp. 109–112. ISBN 9788170200321.
- ^ Samael Aun Weor (2010). Kundalini Yoga: The Mysteries of Fire. Glorian Publishing. ISBN 9781934206478.
Chapter 6 S.No.28, 35
- ^ Sadhu Santideva (2001). Encyclopaedia of Buddhist Tantra. Genesis Publishing. p. 380. ISBN 9788177551440.
- ^ Tulsidas Chatterjee (1970). Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga. Sri Aurobindo Ashram. p. 289.