Rituals among Hindus before and after death.

This morning I woke up not by the sweet song of the birds, but an hurried cry from my mother telling me that the father of one of my close friend had passed away in an accident. I rushed through to reach his residence as fast as I could. I did'nt look in shape, but *I bloody hell didnt care about that. This was the first time that I was attending rituals among Hindus practiced after death. I was unable to understand the rituals performed and I had a deep desire to know the need and logic behind the rituals. Here is something I came across

The concept of ONE is the essence of Hinduism. This ONE
is ALL. Certain symbols are used. The main 3 are:
1. OM
2. TAT means 'THAT' and
3. SAT meaning 'WHAT IS'

THAT is ONE and not TWO or more. THAT is eternal and without
a beginning or an end. It is also called Brahma.

'THIS' or 'IDAM' in Sanskrit is the Universe around us,
including you and me. THIS is not a part of THAT, but THIS
is THAT. THIS is, therefore, without a beginning or an end.
In the same way, I, a man with body, mind and intellect,
am also THAT and not different from THAT. So, a man is
without a beginning and an end. Everything, everybody is
THAT.

It is said that there are two faces of THAT. One is
Purusha or Consciousness and the other is Prakriti or
Nature. The Body, Mind and Intellect of a living being
are Prakriti. It is born and it dies. Consciousness or
Atman puts life into the body is Purusha. The Atman,
which is inside and operates life, is eternal, true and
pure. Atman is different from the body. The link
between the two is called Jeevatma or Jeeva - the
living or personal soul.

It is the body that is born and dies and not the
Jeevatma which is eternal. There are millions of living
beings including man. The following are common among
them:- leading the life, food, sleep, sex etc. But
intellect and reasoning is special to human beings
making them the greatest among all living beings.

During his life, a man acquires 4 Purushartha,
or objects of human pursuit :-
1. Dharma or that which is established or firm ;
2. Artha or substance, wealth or property ;
3. Kama or pleasure, enjoyment, love ; and
4. Moksha or emancipation, liberation.
The first three are obtained during man's Grihasthashrama
or during his married life and must be enjoyed as per
Dharma. But Moksha can be achieved only through Jnana
or knowledge of his oneness with Brahma or the ONE.

Here, Samskara comes in. It means put together,
trained, consecrated etc. There are two main types:
1. Purva Samskara: going from the present situation to
a better or higher situation is this. This is given
before a man gets married or enters Grihasthashrama.
Purva means former.
2. Mrita Samskara: that which is done after death (mrita).

There are 16 Purva samskaras:-
1. Samadhana - Putting together or conception;
2. Pumsavana - performed during 3rd month of gestation
for producing a male child;
3. Simanta - in 4, 6 or 8th month of gestation -
ceremony of parting the hair;
4. Jatakarma - Birth ceremony - touching the new born
child's tongue 3 times with ghee ;
5. Namakarana - naming a child after birth;
6. Upanish- - taking the child in its 4th month into
kramana the open air for the first time;
7. Anna - Putting rice into the child's mouth
Prashana for the first time;
8. Karnavedana - piercing the ear to receive ear rings;
9. Choula - Tonsure or hair cutting;
10. Upanayana - Ceremony when the child is invested with
sacred thread thus endowed with second
birth qualifying him to learn Vedas;
11, 12, 13 & 14 - religious performance during the
acquirement of the Vedas;
15. Samavartana - Ceremony performed at the time of
returning after studying Vedas;
16. Vivaha - Marriage.

These 16 are the duties of the parents to their children.
They treat the Samskaras as a loan given to them by the
parents. The Mrta Samskaras are given by the children after
their parent's death with a sense of duty. These are:
1. Ourdhwa Daihika Samskara or what is performed just
after death;
2. Uttara Kriya or last obsequies.

Like water in a broken pot, life is constantly weakened.
Illness and disease await us like enemies. So, a man has to
perform good deeds for uplifting himself. As long as we
are free from diseases and the sense organs function
properly we must aim for the Atman. Else, it is like
digging a well when the house is on fire.

Wealth is like a dream. Youth fades like a flower.
Our life passes like lightning. He alone is a man who
realises this. His maximum life is 120 years. Half of
this is used for sleep and laziness; 20 years in childhood
and 20 years in old age. During the remaining period, if one
is immersed in mundane existence (samsara) one's life is
fruitless. It is like a bubble on water. He who is
engaged like this during his life, cannot, at the end of
his life, see if he wants to see, hear when he wants to
hear, read when he wants to read or say when he wants to
say. All the sense organs have no strength to perform
their duties. In spite of this, he thinks that his wife,
his son, his wealth, his relatives will always be with him.
Time, like a wolf, without our awareness comes and kills us.

Death swallows children, youth, old people, those in
the womb - all it swallows. The world is like this. The
Jeeva leaves the body and goes out to another world. So,
mother, father, wife, children all are with us now. But no
one comes with us. How does one know that death is
approaching. Who is daily hearing the sound of life
breath (beating of the pulse), he becomes aware of that
sound lessening. Then, he is aware that death is
approaching. What is to be done when this happens?

AS DEATH IS APPROACHING

1. Near the holy basil (Tulsi) plant, wipe the ground
with water mixed with cowdung, mark a round figure
(Mandala) with white quartz powder;
2. On this, spread some sesamum(Til) and Darbha grass
(Saccharum cylindricum);
3. Place the dying person on this; and
4. Put some Tulsi leaf, water soaked in Tulsi leaf
and a gold piece in his mouth.

It is said that sesamum has arisen from the
sweat of the Lord. All problems created by the wicked
are removed by this seed. The darbha grass arises
from the hair of the Lord. With just a touch of this
grass, it is said that man goes to heaven. It is said
Brahma, the creator is at its root; Vishnu, the protector
is in the middle and Siva, the destroyer at the end.
So, at any time nothing gets polluted with Darbha, Fire,
Mantra (sacred text), Tulsi (Basil), Brahmin and Cow.
These are ever pure. It is said that in the Mandala
(round figure stated above), Brahma, Vishnu and Siva
are ever present.

After this, put a drop of sacred water using the
Saligrama stone (black stone found in the Gandaki River)
in his mouth. Then, make him drink some Ganges water.
Most of the Hindu households keep a sealed copper pot
containing Ganges water. Ganges is the holiest river
in the world. It is said that bathing in this river,
one gets all the merits obtained from bathing in all
other holy rivers, as well as performing 1000
Chandrayan sacrifices. By drinking Ganges water, by
remembering Ganges river or thinking about it, one
gets merit.

When one is approaching death, Srimad Bhagavatam (an epic describing the 10 incarnations
of Lord Vishnu) is read aloud so that he can hear it. Making him read
at least one word or one line or one verse from it, he
goes to heaven. If possible, read aloud from the Vedas,
Upanishads or the Gita. If possible, make him utter one
verse, half a verse or at least one word from Bhagavatam.

AFTER DEATH

While living, man has 10 Pranas or breaths of life.
Briefly the first 5 of them (called Pancha Pranas) are:
1. Prana (breath);
2. Apana or vital air which goes down and exits
through the anus;
3. Vyana that circulates through the whole body;
4. Udana or wetting through urination; and
5. Samana which circulates around the navel and vital
to digestion.
There are 5 others making a total of 10 pranas.
At death, 9 of these leave the body. The 10th goes out
at the time of cremation.

The body is cleaned by washing it with water mixed with
ghee and some soapnut powder. Then, a plain, white cloth
(without any border) is tied round the waist. While living,
one uses a cloth with border. The place of cremation is
cleaned and purified. Good firewood is kept ready. A Homa
(act of making an oblation to the gods by casting ghee into
the fire) is performed. At some places, pieces of gold are
also placed. It is said that the word for body - deha - is
derived from the root - dah - to burn.

A stretcher (chatta) for carrying the body is prepared.
Two strong bamboo poles are used. Coconut leaves are used
in between and made strong. On it, the body is placed and
tied to the stretcher with rope made out of coconut
leaves. The whole thing is carried by the children of the
dead person on their shoulders ( a way of returning the
loan of the joy they received when their parents carried
them on their shoulders when young). In front of the
stretcher, fire from the Homa is placed in a mud pot and
taken by the chldren.

Then the cremation place is purified. The firewood
is placed and purifed by sprinkling a little water. The
wood may be of a mango tree. Some sandal wood is also
used. The head is placed towards the south. Then the rope
tying the corpse is removed. A mud pot full of water is
carried on the shoulder and the firewood circumambulated
anticloclwise (apradakshina) 3 times. After the first
round a small hole is made in the pot with a knife and
water sprinkled and similarly during the next 2 rounds
making holes. After another 3 rounds, he stands facing
the head and throws the mud pot back. Any water left in
the pot is sprinkled on the corpse.

Then the fire from the Homa which was brought in a mud
pot is used for setting the wood on fire - first
under the head, then in the middle and lastly under the
feet. On 7 places of the body, like eye, face etc. ghee
is poured to the chanting of sacred verses (mantras).
Hymns are chanted throughout. After the fire has fully
lighted up, the lighters return with their backs to the
corpse touching leaves of the lemon tree and water. After
this, they take a bath with the cloth they have been
wearing (sachera snana).

DAILY RITES

These consist of :
1. Pinda Pradana - offering (pradana) of balls of rice
(pinda);
2. Bali Samarpana - propitiatory oblations (samarpana)
of portions of food (Bali);
3. Vasodaka - offering of clothe (Vasa) sprinkled
with water (udaka);
For this, 3 stones are taken from a nearby lake, darbha
grass tied round them, to the Preta of the dead person
(after formally inviting them - there are 3 of them).
Preta means the Jiva has left the body, but still not yet
reached the other place. (Preta is the spirit of the dead
person). This is performed for 10 days. Till that time,
the unseen body is small as a finger, but unseen is still
there with thirst and hunger.

On the 3rd or 4th day, pieces of bone are collected
from the burnt dead body (using pieces of wood so that the
body is not injured or polluted while collecting). The
bones are then washed and placed in a mud pot. A Homa
called Asthi Sanchaya Homa (Asthi = bones & Sanchaya =
collection) is then performed. They are then buried
under the earth. After the first year's ceremonies are
completed, in the Uttarayana (period starting from the
wintwr solistice till the summer solistice) they are
taken to sacred waters - preferably Ganges - and
immersed there. The buried bones are taken out with a
special wooden stick and worshipped with water, lamp
and smoke.

On the tenth day, Dasaha Homa (Dasa = 10 and
Aha = day) is performed. The rites on the 11th day
are called Shuddhi (purification) punyaha (holy day)
Homa.
12th day is the day for the Sapindikarana
Shradha. Pindas (rice balls) are offered to the
ancestors every year. On the father' side, these are:
father, his father and his grandfather. On the
mother's side, they are mother, father's mother,
and grandfather's mother. Sapindikarana is the act
of joining the Pinda now being offered with the
pindas regularly offered to those stated above. Shraddha
is not a funeral ceremony (called antyeshti or antya =
end and ishti = oblation), but a supplement to such
a ceremony. On this day, many things are given (dana)
like cows, land, pots, trees, beds etc. There are 13
such danas. For a year, the person has to observe a
Deeksha (or religious discipline). Women will wear
Kumkum, men sandal paste and perform daily worship.
The 13th day is called Patheya (for the road)
Shraddha for making a journey. The period of Sutaka
or impurity is now over for the children and their
wives.

MONTHLY CEREMONIES OR MASIKAS (masa = Month)

There are 16 of them (mostly once a month) for a
year which are observed as a part of the rites. Apart
from the 12 months, rites are observed on Days 21, 27,
41, 171 and 346. The one on Day 171 (called the 5-1/2
masika) is important.

It is the duty of the Putra (son) to perform these
rites. One of the derivations of the word Putra is
Punnama Narakat Trayate. Trayate = protects from
narakat = hell punnama = named Pum.

In addition, there is a 3-day rites after the
completion of one year from the date of death. There
are strict rules for determining the days. After this,
the sons and their wives are freed from their Deekasha
as described earlier.

Courtesy - M S Bhat