A Comparative Study between Western and Indian Thoughts of Euthanasia

Introduction Spirits are unborn and uncreated and are immortal in their nature. Birth and death, coming and passing are merely the appearance. Only through the veil of ignorance a man thinks himself to be dead or born. When his darkness of ignorance is dispelled by the self-effulgent radiance of the Atman, he realizes himself as the immortal Bliss. Spiritualism does not help us to transcend the cycles of death and birth; the knowledge of the Absolute alone can make us free from it. -Swami Abhedananda[1] I. INTRODUCTION From the title of this thesis-EUTHANASIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN WESTERN AND INDIAN VIEWSone should not draw the conclusion that it is a mere comparative study between Western and Indian views regarding euthanasia or mercy killing. In Indian context, there is no such term which can be used as an alternative of the term euthanasia. But there are some socioreligious activities which may be compared with the activities related to euthanasia. Whether those socio-religious activities in Indian context,are really be comparable with the euthanasia or not, is not the central issue of this work. Rather the chief aim of this research work is to find out the way how to dignify the death. In this process, this research workpresupposes thoseIndian socio-religious activities as the examples of euthanasia in some form or other,following the Western philosophers. However, what is common among these two perspectives is that both are concerned seriously about the.