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FAQs : Answers to frequently asked questions

Hindu View on Capital Punishment

As an individual a Hindu’s conduct is to always forgive even the worst enemy or not to judge another human being and leave the judgement to the Lord.

As a government the Hindu view is that at times there is no option but to end a life to protect the society from within or from without. This is based on a higher principle that death and rebirth are necessary for the soul to grow and know its own Divinity.

What do Hindus believe about judgement and what is the process of salvation?

We believe in a law of karma that is in operation all the time. There is not the judgement day in our way of thinking. There are multiple ways of achieving salvation and we do believe strongly that accepting Jesus as the saviour is one of them.

What do Hindus believe about Jesus and his role in Hindu faith?

We believe in Jesus as an incarnation of the Divine. We Hindus believe that Jesus, the Divine incarnation, added to the capacity of the human flesh to experience love. This is based on the Hindu concept that every incarnation enhances the ability for the matter that makes up humans to evolve higher.

How do you think Christians perceive God and his relationship to humanity?

Christians perceive God as someone in heaven who is the ruler of this world. He loves each of His subjects but he is also bound by the law that he has laid down for humanity.

What is the nature of God and HIS relationship to humanity

The nature of God cannot be described in words completely but we are all manifestations of God in different forms. God is present in all of us but we also worship God in a form external to us and in that form God is our protector and God loves us much more than we can love God.

Hindu perspective on euthanasia

Hinduism does permit Prayopavesa or renouncing of food and water which is actually euthanasia.

Prayopavesa literally resolving to die through fasting is a practice in Hinduism that denotes the suicide by fasting of a person, who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life. It is also allowed in cases of terminal disease or great disability. A similar practice exists in Jainism.

Committing Prayopavesa is bound by very strict regulations. Only a person who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life is entitled to perform it. The decision to do so must be publicly declared well in advance. Ancient times law makers stipulated the conditions that allow Prayopavesa. They are one’s inability to perform normal bodily purification, death appears imminent or the condition is so bad that life’s pleasures are nil and the action is done under community regulation. eg King Parikshit in ancient time had observed prayopavesa and in current time, in 1982 Acharya Vinoba Bhave ( spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi) died by prayopavesa. In Nov 2001 Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami subjected himself to prayopavesa. Subramuniyaswami was diagnosed to be suffering from terminal intestinal cancer. He later died on the 32nd day of his fast.

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