[ One of the surviving chapters of "The Book of Good Deaths" by Shivadharmadhavi, written around 350 AD in Magadha. The other surviving chapters, "On the Arts of Intuition and Seeking" and "On the Dances of the Gods" have so far not been translated to English, except for fragments appearing in some editions of "The Ocean of Dust". Very little is known about Shivadharmadhavi (which is probably a pseudonym), except that he was a Euthanatos master close to the court, possibly related to the Gupta rulers. ]

On the Ways of the Good Death

Nagarya writes that there are eight ways of bringing the Good Death:
  1. The way of the sharp knife
  2. The way of the animals
  3. The way of clever implements
  4. The way of crushed flesh
  5. The excellent way of suffocation
  6. The way of the plants
  7. The way of divine intervention
  8. The way of the dance of Shiva
But the Rashani school says there are five additional ways:
  1. The subtle way of touch
  2. The way of breaking and disease
  3. The way of killing by emotion (also known as Nagakama)
  4. The coarse way of touch
  5. The way of Agni
Each way is most suitable for one caste or group of people, for example the Rashani school suggests that the Paria are only to be killed with the way of breaking and disease, while sinful courtesans are to be killed by emotion.

The Mudras

In general, the Abhaya Mudra is good for calming participants who does not understand the truth or necessity of the ways. Many teachers also use the Dharmacakra Mudra (or the Vitaka Mudra when dealing with Buddhists) if there is time and opportunity to do so. The Surparaka school has always encouraged the teacher to remain with the participant if the death is planned to be slow for the entire process, praying and explaining the details of the doctrines; in this case the Samadhi Mudra, Namaskara Mudra and sometimes (if it is very painful or the teacher participates in the death) the Buddha-Shramana Mudra.

It should be noted that if a participant (especially a spiritual elder) makes the Bhumisparsa-mudra with sincerity, the teacher should consider the meaning of the teachings and either explain the act in detail, or wait for a sign. For does not knowledge dispel the uncleanness of time?

The Prayers

All schools except the Haravana recognise that Durga is best to invoke before and after going on the ways, but different lands have different mantras, and at least one school, the one at Prahakadeda, sings her praises during the wandering. This makes the act harder to complete, and hence purer. The Haravana celebrate the goddess by performing the sacrifices of the Karpuradistotra hymn (cats, camels, sheep, buffaloes, goats and men) to dissolve the sins of the warriors for the entire year. Most masters recommend reciting the mantras and performing the sacrifices often, to lessen the weight of the killings, and the Haravana suggest that masters eventually invoke the all-cleansing, all-devouring fire of Jvalamukhi.

In the southern regions some schools regard the participants as offerings to the Wheel, and after the celebration give the leftovers to the fire of Shoshika Devi. In this case her mantra is to be recited, as can be found in the Gandharva Tantra: Aim Hrim Shrim namo bhagavati Matangeshvari Sarvanjavashankari Svaha. This destroys most obstracles to the full reincarnation, and cleanses the elements (upacharas). The school of Haravana claims that if the mantra is recited a thousand times and milk, mustard seed and rice burned with the body, the soul will traverse the Wheel fully for one great revolution.

On the Times

Practically all schools teach that the Good Death is best bestowed at twilight or in the night, especially when the moon is in the sky. For this is the time when the great wheel descends into the night of death to be reborn at dawn, but also the time when most recipients are least able to resist.

But the Satpura school teaches that the age of the recipient is to be considered: a young boy or girl are to be killed at dawn, young men and females in the morning, family fathers and old women in the afternoon and the old men in the evening.

The time of year depends more on the circumstances and way used; the ways of animals and plants requires the right season, the path of water requires rain and flooding, the way of the sharp knife is best when war. Giving the Good Death at holy days, especially the days holy to our Mother, is always suitable (although Nagarya warns against excess), and consulting with an astrologer can help decide the correct time to cause a reincarnation.

The Way of the Sharp Knife

This way is the simplest, and yet most complex way towards the Good Death. The manifold blades and moves each have their own use, preferred season and kind of victim.

Naturally the Way of the Sharp Knife is suitable for the Kschatria. According to the Haravana school, the paths of this way are:

If a simple crime is to be punished it is usually enough to cut off the extremity that committed it.

It is custom if possible to strike at the chakra where this incarnation has failed, especially if the failure is of a corrupt nature:

It is common to make the Abhaya Mudra when following this way, although many students have argued that it is hard to do if the Kschatria resists strongly. But it should be remembered that the great goddess Durga makes this mudra in her manifestation, and it is thus consonant with the killing of the demonic ego.

The Way of the Animals

Each animal has its own path, and although they often cross they sometimes struggle, sometimes ignore each other as animals are wont to do, and sometimes mate to form a double animal. The master of this path has to learn their forms and tricks, and some of the paths require extensive preparation and training:

It should be noted that the schools of Bangalore let dogs bite and eat ghosts; but this is widely regarded as unsuitable even if the ghosts are themselves unclean; the best way to deal with ghosts and other spirits is divine intervention or the way of killing with emotions.

The Rashany school teaches that no mudras are required for these paths, since the animals will give suitable signs to the participants, but it is common practice for the teacher to make the Dharmacara Mudra or in the northern provinces Buddha-Shramana Mudra if the teacher explains the symbolism of the act if it is intended to be slow and painful.

The Paths of Lion, Leopard and Tiger

The paths of the lion, leopard and tiger are all suitable for virtuous Kchatria, great hunters and young men.

The Path of the Unicorn

The path of the unicorn is suitable only for the spiritual old man, in the months when the skies are right. It is a most rare path, and often requires carefully selected prayers to the gods to succeed, but when the unicorn opens the heart of the man his soul will follow the spiral of the horn into the light, thus seeing the world as it is.

The Crushing Path of the enraged Elephant

The crushing path of the Enraged Elephant is commonly used for angry people, showing them the result of their actions; the Shivanalya suggest that a prayer to Ganesha is to be made during the ceremony. It is best if the participant is bound to four trees far enough apart, using poles in the ground has hurt the elephant.

The Clever Ripping of Monkeys

The clever ripping of monkeys is usually used for the Vaishya, since the monkeys pick apart in the same way as the Vaishya forge together. To make this path work, the monkeys have to be strengthened by prayers to the suitable gods.

The Attack of the Snake

The attack of the snake should be preceded by a prayer to Vasuki and the nagas, to prevent them from becoming angry if the victim is violent or unclean. It is suitable for the higher castes.

The Royal Stare of the Cobra

The royal stare of the cobra is very holy, and has in the past only been used as a path for the royal and high to pass to the next incarnation.

The Slow Death by Rats

The slow death by rats is widely regarded as suitable for the lower castes, although the school of Tosali practices it only on the Brahmins at times of celebration. It is one of the ceremonies best suited for fasting and long prayer by the teacher above the pit.

The Pulling of Donkeys or Oxen

The pulling of donkeys or oxen are very suitable for the Sudra caste, although the Shivanalaya suggests that all people filled with irresolute thoughts and emotions, people who wander without direction or are filled with conflict should be pulled by the donkeys while the teacher explains the need for unity.

The Way of Clever Implements

This way involves mechanical traps and implements of torture, although the Tiruvannamalai schools also place the Wheel as a path of this way.

Traps are suitable for dealing with seekers who seek the teacher, out of curiosity, hate or understanding. They are commonly divided into falling traps, traps that open, traps that strike and traps that change. They all require the skills to build, and some has to be built with the house (and thus stand under the protection of the local gods), but provide a most excellent mean to teach the toolmakers.

The manifold arts of torture are to be described in the next book, but it suffices to say that pain is a cleansing emotion that will purify the soul; all schools agree that the student and teacher should seek to experience their nuances to better understand and use them. Sandarakani suggests that the sweet sounds of a flute are used for contrast during the path of torture, so that the pain is shown for what it is. This is also suitable for reciting the fifteen prayers to the Wheel.

Since the implements act as new hands of the teacher, there is a great variety of mudras developed by their practitioners. It is however very suitable to make the Bhutadamara Mudra to ward off the dharma of the metal.

The Way of Crushed Flesh

This way is often regarded as base and material, but all agree on its efficiency, especially against material people. Still, the Surparaka school has found many profound deaths along this way for the lower castes, and all wise men know that the path of the wheel leads through the gardens of paradise where Shiva of the three worlds resides.

The Path of the Falling Rock

This path is simple, yet beautiful since the rock can be suitably consecrated. The Surparaka school recommends that this is used against old people, especially those of the higher castes. A common practice is to hide above a narrow pass, on a building or a ruin and wait. This has made this path popular among masters wishing to teach their students patience.

The Mill of Flesh

This path is very suitable for all who farm the earth, to show them the true tat tvam asi. It is not as holy as the Wheel since the millstones lie down, but is nevertheless both suitable and proper; some teachers claim to have seen the goddess Bhairaveshvari lead the farmer away after hi body has been milled. The Surparaka school suggests that the resulting blood can be mixed with flour and ash and made into holy bread to be consumed by the yantra fire of Jvalamukhi to further purify the soul.

The Path of the Club

Not much needs to be said about this path. It is related to the Way of the Sharp Knife, and thus suitable for the warriors.

The Path to the High Cliffs

This path is very suitable as punishment for ambitious people and as a reward to architects, who strive to reveal the primordial mountain of Meru in their temples. The ambitious men should be blindfolded and bound with fine ropes, and then led to the edge where the teacher invokes the suitable gods with their mantras and then throws the ambitious down, together with soma and their riches. And as they reach the end of their incarnation, the mantra of Remin. But the architect should be praised for his work, led to the highest tower and given incense (if possible, many teachers make upaya) before being thrown into the air with a great cry. And the Mahakali mantra is commonly read.

The Grand Path of the Crushing With The Wheel

This is regarded as one of the most beautiful ways to bring the Good Death, as the recipient will be able to see the Wheel during his or her reincarnation. It is suitable for all castes and ages, since the Wheel will roll over them with no regard for this incarnation, only the Law. The teacher should reverently make the Dharmacakra- mudra, and afterwards meditate on this sight, praising the gods for having been given the honour to witness it. The most perfect wheels are naturally the wagons of the gods, especially the wagon of Jagannatha, but the Surparaka school has consecrated a special wheel for this sole purpose which is daily covered with incense and soma.

The Excellent Way of Suffocation

The disciples of Rashani perfected this way, and to this day remain its masters and true guardians. Nagarya thus writes that there are only three paths on this way: But the Satpura school point out that there is also a path of earth, wherein the victim is buried alive. This path is said to be good for the Brahmans.

The Path of Water

The path of water is commonly used, and often the first to be taught to the students in the lowlands. It is better to drown the participant in the Ganges than the Bramaputhra, and better to drown him or her (for Nagarya writes that this path is the best path for girls and women) in a holy river than in a lake or sea. According to Nagarya, beside Varanasi and the other holy cities of the river, the best place to choose is a calm beach where the trees give shade and the fishes play in the water. The Balaghat school has built a special dam in their temple in the mountains wherein soma, rice and butter are poured as the participant is held down, while the Kankesanturanata suggests using a net, especially for fishermen and tying down rich people with their belongings.

The Path of Locked Hands

The path of the locked hands is commonly taught, but hard to do well for many students. The teachers of the Rashani keep many secrets, but it is known that the grip has to be firm and remind the user of a heart. The Tenkasi rub their hands with the sap of a special tree, while Nagarya suggests rubbing them with hairy larvae from the forest to make them thick, hot and soft.

The Paths of the Rashani Rope

The Paths of the Rashani Rope are manifold and confusing to the uninitiated. They are named after each of the signs they make, for the masters are able to write in air using their ropes. To strangle a victim, it is important to have the right kind of rope. The Rashani all claim the ropes from the Krishna are the best, but Nagarya is told to have said that the ropes from Kutch are stronger. Some schools do not use ropes, but pieces of cloth or even plants.

The best way to approach is from behind, but masters have strangled from all directions, even hanging from a branch above (these masters then jump down on the other side, hanging the victim neatly). The victim is said to not be aware of the attack before it is too late, but will doubtless struggle, so the Rashani first train their apprentices in the subtle and coarse ways of touch.

Since both hands are used, no mudras are made in this path or the path of locked hands, but the Rashani teach that the act itself forms a secret mudra meaning "No life, no death".

The Way of the Plants

This way is most often used against the Vaishya and Kchatria nobles. The masters find it suitable both for young men and women, but suggest that older men should be taught using other ways.

It has been argued that a true traveller on the Way of the Good Death should not attempt to follow the way of plants when the recipient is a paria eating meat, or when dead animals are to be changed. But the Rashani masters have said that compassion is the highest of virtues, and that the uncleanness of the blood is banished by the devotion to Kali. For does not her name mean "She who devours Kala (Time) and returns to her formlessness"?

Sometimes the Varada Mudra is made when following this way, although many students prefer to make the mudra after the gift has been bestowed.

Nagarya divides this into five paths, but many masters refer to other paths:

The Deadly Essence

This is the simplest path. An extract of the bright flowers of the Huna province is prepared with butter, and then given to the victim in his food, as massage or thrown with a length of rope. Many schools know other mixtures to use.

The Trickery of the Food

Many students of the way of plants use this path, since it is simple to learn and often is the best when the victim is not intended to know who sent the gift. By participating in the cooking of the food, either poison (like the Huna essence or the venom of snakes, in the case of Brahmins) or decay can be hidden beneath the lovely tastes, killing or sickening the eater.

The Weighted Possessions

A more subtle path, where the possessions of the victim are poisoned by smearing them with the essences of powerful plants. A beautiful variation is to curse the things, so that greedy people will be struck while virtuous people will remain safe; Nagarya once created at sceptre that led the greedy kill each other, thus giving the good karma of the Good Death to them as a gift.

The Dark Bride

This way was found by Nisimguri of Tosali as he sought to end the reign of prince Kaulajnana. He gave a beautiful girl to drink the ten cups of the dark plant, praying to the Goddess to strengthen her body and fill her with the bhairava force of the waning moon. Nisimguri then sent the girl to the prince, who was delighted by her beauty and scent. And as he kissed her in the palace garden, he fell down dead.

The Unusual Fruits of the Valleys

These fruits of the valleys of the Anamalai hills have many wondrous properties. They are dark, like rotten grapes, but smell of sandalwood and hide beneath leaves like outstretched hands. Ingesting these fruits gives the eater vivid sights that are more real than the real world, and often horrendous as they reveal his sins and fears, thus they are sacred to Tenyam Devi, she who reveals the fault. The eater can be approached and admonished properly, often realising his guilt to the extent that he voluntarily accepts the Good Death. And this way is often used against liars of any caste, or sinful monkeys.

The Path of the Spiked Demons

This path is secret, only taught by the masters of Honavar. It involves the spiked demons of the sea, who will willingly reveal the whereabouts of potent poisons growing in the undersea gardens. These poisons are powerful and unknown to all but the Honavar mixers.

The Garden of Kali

This is a classic preparation, often used for especially worthy or dangerous opponents. Lotus flowers are gathered, and their petals placed on the altar of Kali. The master of plants then smokes hashish and enters the sleep of visions, to visit the garden of Kali, beyond the mountains of Ganareva. In the garden, he will pray to the Goddess for guidance using the three high mantras, asking her to provide him with a drop of the blood from the dead anti-gods in the name of the eternal beauty of her Dakshinakali yantra. And if the master of plants is found to be worthy, the Goddess will appear digambaram and let a drop fall from her mouth. After the rite, one of the lotus petals will have darkened. Give this to the opponent, and the deadly delights of the garden of Kali will be his.

The Way of Divine Intervention

This is the way of power. This way involves Good Death brought by unnatural or holy means, and should not be undertaken lightly. Misusing this path means that the gods themselves may wish to bestow the gift of the Good Death to you.

This path is the only suitable path for the Good Death of gods whose time has come. Only by a god may a god be worshipped, and only by a god may a god be killed.

The Slow Path of Diseases

This path is in common use, and requires little comment. Creating fevers, boils and watering of the blood requires the master of sickness to invoke the demons of unhealth into the victim, while praying for the Goddess to let them stay in the house of the body due to the crimes and needs of the victim.

One variation, linked to the Way of Animals is the disease of moving flesh, where the spirits of maggots are invoked to breed inside the victim. This is a suitable way of dealing with the casteless, especially those who have committed grave crimes.

This path is useful if the teacher wishes to teach and enlighten the victim before the reincarnation. Often it is used for old but unenlightened people.

The Path of Petitioning Dharmaraja

This path is suitable when no other means seems to work. The god of death is petitioned by a prayer to the south and drawing his yantra to judge between the victim and petitioner; one will die, one will live. Many who fear they will have to use this uncertain path make rich upayas to Dharmaraja before visiting the victim, but victims have been known to counter-pray. Still, it is a most extraordinary way to bring the Good Death, and masters still speak of those who have undertaken it.

The Ineffable Trident of Vishnu

This great weapon is filled with the power of the great god Vishnu, and served Durga well when she defeated the anti-gods. Killing with the trident is only to be undertaken as the highest honour to the victim, a king, a great guru or a god as it is not the hand of the holy warrior that holds the trident, but Vishnu himself. Commonly the entire temple gathers before the killing to fill the trident with holy power, making it a weapon of tremendous ability and manifesting the forces of eternal creation. This makes it useful to ward off demons, unclean spirits and other denizens of the base, since they do not dare to approach the warrior carrying the trident.

The Flashing Path of Indra

By praying to Indra the great god may send his lightening to the aid of the follower of this path. The cleansing and powerful fire is an excellent way of disposing of demons and other harmful beings, but also to purify the violent and haughty. Large amounts of soma should be poured onto the holy fire to honour the god after this kind of miracle.

Opening the Mouth of Jvalamukhi

This path is rare, but has been used with great effect by the Rashani in their battles with the Haneddhi (who confuse it with the Way of Agni). By reciting the vidyas of Jvalamukhi, knower of all Shastras, and lightening a fire the Goddess of the matted locks will come to their aid. She has been known to set fire to enemies, make weapons burn like torches, make the earth open and spew forth cleansing fire and even let a river of heavenly fire pour down onto the unnamed dark city.

According to the Brihad Jabala Upanishad the ash left behind has wondrous properties, being able to heal any disease and cleanse the unworthy. Nagarya has proclaimed that this most holy path cleanses all sins and impurities, and should be undertaken by those who know their karma has been darkened with too many deeds.

The Summoning of Durga

This summoning is one of the deepest secrets of the Consanguinity of Eternal Joy, but a mighty one. The master may invoke the Goddess and take her shape, becoming her temporary avatar in times of need. This is only to be undertaken when the forces of evil congregate to strike against the pure, or when an exceptional Good Death has to be undertaken. If the Goddess becomes angered at the worshipper, nothing will stand in her way.

The way of the dance of Shiva

This way can only be followed by the great god himself, or possibly by those of his followers who become his avatars in the final days. Of its nature it is not lawful to speak.

This concludes the chapter about the paths to the Good Death.

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