Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Drishtikone

Home
Hindu
Last Rites of Deceased in Hinduism

Last Rites of Deceased in Hinduism

Last updated on: November 1, 2022 at 3:49 pm by Desh Kapoor

Last Rites of Deceased in Hinduism 2022-11-01T15:49:20-05:00 Desh Kapoor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In the last week, I performed the last rites of my Mother. Since most of us were not much knowledgeable in the sequence and the process, and nothing was available on the net, we had to keep on asking. Here is how we did and the notes on various steps, which might be of help to others.

Remember, in Hinduism, there is a lot of significance on symbolism. Its not as if that act itself will do the trick, but the act and its symbolism will lead to creation of appropriate energies that ultimately may do the desired. There is very little difference between the “Energy” of an act and the thought. Everything is an energy – from thought, to body, to food, to water, air, fire and what we call soul. The energies in any situation are the ones which interact for a final result. Therefore, follow whatever rituals you may with the understanding that it is about creation of the requisite “Energy situation”, as opposed to fretting about the irrelevance of a ritual and its rather outlandish symbolism.

At the time of Death: As soon as the death is confirmed*, one should bring the deceased body on the floor and place it on a peace of cloth. Do the following thereafter:

– Light a lamp and dhoop or agarbatti. The lamp is supposed to be symbolic of showing light to the soul as it exits the body.
– Tie the toes with a red string (Molli – used in religious ceremonies). This act symbolises that it will help the soul from the body to go further on and “enter heaven”.
– Create a boundary around the body with turmeric. Turmeric helps to ward of negative energies from harming the soul as it exits the body.
– Some people like to put a gold ornament or one made of 5 metals (panchrattan) in the mouth of the deceased as well.

( if the death occurs at home without a doctor around you, please call a doctor who should come and certify the death. IMPORTANT: Without that certificate, the Cremation Ground will NOT allow the Cremation to happen)*

Call the priest – from the local temple or the nearest Cremation ground to help you with the last rites for the body. He will do the rites and then the Arthi (platform to carry the body made of bamboo and hay). The structure of Arthi is a brilliant concept as in the end, every thing it is made of is used up in the Cremation and nothing is left behind.

At the Cremation Ground:

Before you go to the Cremation Ground, remember to take some green leafy vegetable with you, it is used at the end and you may not be able to procure it at that time.

At the cremation ground, the body is first placed on a platform and the last rites are performed by the Son of the deceased. If the Son is not available, then the Wife or the Husband of the Deceased should perform it. If they are not available, then a real brother should do it. In their absence, the son-in-law or his son may do it. This almost seems like a tree of those who could be legal heirs and that is precisely its significance! The act of cremation prepares the heir apparent of the dead to take over the responsibilities of the departed in context of the family, business and society.

One major act here is of taking a earthen pot full of water and circling around the body offering it water and then smashing the pot near the head.

The body is then taken to the cremation area and the pyre is built up. The hay in the Arthi is used to start the fire at the pyre.

Significance of Burning the body: Hindus have a belief that the soul continues to hover around the dead body due to its attachment with it. When the body is consigned to flames and burnt down to ashes, the link between the soul and the body is completely broken and the soul is freed from its bondage with that body

Kapal Kriya

A few minutes after the pyre has been consigned to the flames, Kapal Kriya is performed. In this, one of the longer bamboos used in the Arthi is used to break the skull of the body. This is done by the person doing the cremation. There are many reasons why this is done:

– The Skull bone is a very hard bone. Once it is broken, its easy for it to burn with the rest of the body.
– Many occult practitioners prey around Cremation grounds for fresh spirits (of the recent dead) to “use”. A spirit cannot be used endlessly by the occultists so Cremation grounds are frequented by them. Skull is an effective way and tool for them to do what they are doing. If the skull is broken, it is of no use to them. If the skull is not broken and has not burnt along with the body, then the spirit of the dead is susceptible to the malafides of the occultists.
– Forehead is where the soul of the dead is supposed to be concentrated. Once broken, the soul is freed from the body and starts the search for the next body.

Besides this, having gone through the experience with both my parents, I can say that this one act breaks all the attachment to the deceased. Before doing it, you shiver – for this person was alive just a few hours back – but once you hit the skull, you know what burns in front of you, is after all just a body. All attachments are gone.

Attachment with the deceased by those who are left behind probably has the same effect as the attachment that the deceased’s soul may have for them. So, breaking the attachments of the loved ones left behind is an important step in breaking the departed soul free.

Before leaving Cremation Ground

Make sure you do the following, before you come out of the Cremation Ground:

– Get the receipt from the office to help you get the Death certificate. This will be the most important document for you in the process of getting the Death Certificate in India.
– Discuss the time for coming for collecting the last remains (bones – or phool, meaning flowers, as they are called). Usually one comes after a day after next in the morning – mostly before 9 am – to do that.
– Announce the time for collecting the last remains and the next ceremony to all those who have collected so they can plan their week/s ahead accordingly.

Remember that leafy vegetable? Now is the time for that. Everyone from the family takes a few leaves each and throws it back over the head, without looking back, praying for a happy life and prosperous life ahead. The rest of the vegetable can be left for cow to finish.

=============== ==================

Beyond the Cremation, the last rites are done at Haridwar (mostly), although some parts can be done in Kurukshetra as well. Here is an outline of the main steps:

Following the rites most closely, you should plan on going to Haridwar 10 days AFTER the Cremation. Plan on procuring the ashes early morning from the Cremation Ground before you leave for Haridwar. I would suggest to hire a car. Remember not to put the ashes down anywhere, keep holding it or put it on the dashboard if you want, but not on the ground.

The first act of immersing the ashes in Ganga is done in Kankhal near Haridwar. The exact place is “Sati Ghat”. Go there are there will be the Pundits who will help you. They will ask you for your family and where they belong. The rites here are linked to the next step in Haridwar at Har Ki Paudi, where you make an entry in the family register.

REMEMBER: for the Pundits in this place, you are a source of income and no more than a customer whose deep pockets they are after and what better time than the death of their loved ones. They will use your love for the deceased and your superstition AGAINST you.. to the hilt! So, while doing what you have to do, remember to not give into the various cries for more money and the emotional blackmail that goes along with that.

I would pay no more than Rs 500 to the Pundit for the ceremony here. When you go to the steps to immerse the ashes (bones) in Ganga, remember that (i) water flow is fast and you don’t want to fall into that place, and (ii) the step under the water are usually very slippery, so be very aware!

After this, head for Haridwar (Har ki Paudi). There you will try to locate the Pundit who has your family tree. Before heading off to Haridwar, remember to get the details – your grand father’s name, his father’s name. Which city they lived in and which street or colony (mohalla). All the details are kept and locatable if you know enough details.

The Pundit who locates your details will also perform your ceremony. The ceremony can take some half an hour to an hour.

After the ceremony you should take a small bath in the Ganga. The payment here to the Pundit and his assistants may be no more than Rs 500-800. Make sure you do NOT give into the emotional blackmail.

We thought it was FAR better to give the money to people who took care of my Mother during her illness than to the Pundits.

This ceremony is the last on this trip and make sure when you need to do the last set of Pujas on the 13th day.

Before you leave the Har ki Paudi, remember to look for the Desi Ghee ki Puris at a shop there.. it is probably the best I have ever had! Great eating place if you are into road-side stuff!

Learn about Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and more in Patheos’ Library.

Religion

Previous Post

January 2, 2010

Wishing a Very Happy New Year

Next Post

January 3, 2010 Aussie Intolerance of Indian Migrants

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Aarti Achievement and Leadership AfPak Africa Annual and Year-end Asia Audio Australia Behavioural Sciences Bhagwad Gita Bhagwad Gita Blogging Blogs Business Business Intelligence Business Strategy Cannes Careers Chanakya China Conservation Corruption Creative Daily Links Desh Poems Development & Welfare Devotional Audio Devotional Songs Drama Earth Economics Education Entertainment Environment Europe Everyday Quotes Featured Articles Featured Songs Finance Flickr Pictures Food Geo-Political Global Warming Globalization Health & Medicine Hinduism Historic History Humour India Indian Culture Indian music Indian Weddings Israel Issues Legal Link Love Minorities Misc Motivation and Personal Development Movie Lists Movie Reviews Movies Mumbai terror attacks Natural Disasters Nature News Outsourcing Pakistan Parenting Personal Philosophy Poetry Politics Poverty Quotes Recipe Regular Blog Post Relationships Religion Religious/Spiritual Audio Sciences Showcase Slideshow South Asia Special Stories Spiritual Quotes Spirituality Sports Stories Strategy Technology Technology Terrorism Travel Uncategorized US Video Women Women_s Rights Worship Yoga

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 September 2014 August 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What were the Ten Commandments written down on?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Scrolls Papyrus Stone tablets The Ark of the Covenant