(desire for death), modes of suicide formerly prescribed in the Hindu Shastras (q.v.). The commonest mode is drowning in the Ganges, but sometimes the suicide submits to being buried alive. There was formerly an instrument kept by which a person could decapitate himself. It consisted of a sharp, crescent-shaped knife, with a chain and stirrup to each horn. The devotee placed the sharp edge on the back of his neck, and his feet in the stirrups, then gave a violent jerk with his legs, and his head was instantly severed from his body.