Death Rites of Transition For Hindus

Whom those well-verses in the Vedas and whom the seers, call as Indra (the God of
Gods), Yama (the eternal timeless God of Death) , Mātariśvā (present everywhere like
air).
Whom the followers of the philosophy of Vedānta, indicate by the word Brahman as the
One which cannot be described or explained.
Whom the Śaivas call the Omnipotent Śiva and Vaishnavas praise as Vishnu, the
Buddhists and Jains respectively call as Buddha and Arhant, whom the Sikh sages call
Sat Śrī Akāl.
Some call Whom as Śāstā, others The Son, some call The Protector, some Divine
Mother, some Divine Father.
To Whom they offer prayers, It is the same and the only One, without a second.
Ekaatmata Mantra - An underlying transcendental unity

Hindu Rites of Transition
What is greatest
wonder?
A QUESTION BY LORD YAMA, THE GOD OF DEATH TO YUDHISTHIRA
IN THE MAHABHARATHA
Day after day countless people
die. Yet the living wish to live
forever. Oh Lord, what can be a
greater wonder?
YUDHISTHIRA’S REPLY TO LORD YAMA
In the next 10 minutes
Hindu Belief
• The goal of Life
• Death as transition
• Blessedness of Human Birth
Hindu Rites of Transition

Moksha
The Goal of Life (Liberation)
In Hinduism, liberation from

samsara, the cycle of death and
rebirth, is considered the
ultimate goal of earthly Birth
existence.
This is known as moksha, Samsara

mahasamadhi or Nirvana in
Hinduism.
Death
Karma and Reincarnation
Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by
which each individual creates his own destiny by his
thoughts, words and deeds.
Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through
many births until all karmas have been resolved, and
moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not
a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
Death as Transition
Body
Who
dies?
Atma
(soul)
As a person puts on new garments,
giving up old ones, similarly, the
embodied one (atma/soul) accepts
new material bodies, giving up the old
and useless ones.
BHAGAVAD GITA 2:22
Death and Liberation
DEATH LIBERATION
Associated with the body Associated with atma (soul)
Bodily functions cease Identity and consequent attachment cease
Not attainable while living Attainable while living
This is immortality
Blessedness of Human Birth
Human birth, burning desire for liberation,
the capacity to surrender completely to a
person of wisdom – these three things are
rare indeed, and wherever they are found,
they are due to the Lord’s own Grace
VIVEKACHOODAMANI VERSE 3
Rites of Transition
Lord Yama – The Lord of Death
Lord Yama is the God of death in
Hindu belief.
He is also the Dharma-Raja – The
King of Dharma (Righteousness)
In art he is depicted with green
or red skin, red clothes, and
riding a buffalo. He holds a loop
of rope in his left hand with
which he pulls the soul from the
corpse.
Hindu Approach to Death
A Hindu approaching death works diligently to finish all his "business" of
this lifetime.
If death comes while loose ends remain (misunderstandings unresolved,

misdeeds unatoned for or obligations unfulfilled), another lifetime may be
required to expire that karma.
An aging or ailing Hindu will be seen going around to friends and enemies,
giving love, help and blessings, working to resolve conflicts and
differences, offering apologies and fulfilling all known obligations.
Hindu Approach to Death
Ideally, he executes his own will, distributing his properties and duties to
heirs, charities and endowments, not leaving such tasks to others.
That done, he turns to God, reads holy scriptures, attends temple and
meditates. He may pilgrimage to sacred spots.
The family takes care not to disturb these efforts, realizing he has entered
life's final stage, that of the renunciation, or sannyasin.
Cremation
Among Hindus, fire is
considered a sacred gateway
to the spiritual world.
Hindus traditionally cremate

their dead, for swifter, more
complete release of the soul.
Burial, which preserves the
bond, is generally forbidden.
Cremation
Hindu cremation ceremony is intended to dissolve the attachment
between the soul and the physical body so that the soul can have a
smooth transition to the astral world, upon the death of the physical
body.
Through the power of the mantras (chants), the cremation ceremony
lessens the pain the soul suffers when separated from the physical
body. The cremation ceremony also provides psychological healing to
the mourners of the departed soul.
Rites of Transition
Hindu death rituals follow a uniform pattern drawn from the
holy scriptures with variation according to sect, region and
family tradition.
Outline of Rites
When death is imminent, a lamp lit near head. Relatives sing hymns and
recite prayers.
Upon death, tulsi (basil) water poured into the mouth and the body is laid
in the home with head facing North.
A priest is called to perform prayers.

Outline of Rites
The body is bathed and clothed in new or
favorite clothes and placed in casket. Rites are
performed by chief mourner (usually eldest son
in the family).
Prayers are recited all the while and the casket

taken to crematorium.
Last prayers and rituals are conducted by chief

mourner and relatives at the crematorium.
Outline of Rites
Next day, chief mourner and others go to crematorium to collect ashes.
Ashes taken to sea for dispersion as all holy rivers join the sea. Water from
the Ganges sprinkled on the remains before dispersion. Soul can be
reborn in another part of the world.
Following the funeral, prayers for the deceased performed on 10th, 12th,
16th and 31st day for peaceful journey of the departed soul. Memorial
service is held annually.
Points to Note
Tonsuring of the Head: A son shaves off his hair in
mourning the death of his father.
Food is neither cooked nor served at Hindu
funerals
All materials used in a funeral are discarded.
Funeral prayers performed by the seaside or
riverside and are conducted by Hindu Priests only
Mourners allowed to visit temples only after 16
days of mourning.
What happens when death
interrupts the striving
towards liberation?
What happens when death interrupts
the striving towards liberation?
A transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this
world or in the spiritual world.
The unsuccessful yogi, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living
entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy. Or he takes his
birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this
world.
On taking such a birth, he again revives the divine consciousness of his previous life, and he tries to
make further progress in order to achieve complete success.
By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the
yogic principles—even without seeking them.
But when the yogi engages himself with sincere endeavour in making further progress, being washed
of all contaminations, then ultimately, after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme
goal.
Bhagavad Gita 6:40 – 6:45
Lead us from untruth to truth
Lead us from ignorance to knowledge
Lead us from death to immortality
Peace, Peace, Peace

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Whom those well-verses in the Vedas and whom the seers, call as Indra (the God of

Ekaatmata Mantra - An underlying transcendental unity

Hindu Rites of Transition

In Hinduism, liberation from

This is known as moksha, Samsara

Associated with the body Associated with atma (soul)

Bodily functions cease Identity and consequent attachment cease

Not attainable while living Attainable while living

If death comes while loose ends remain (misunderstandings unresolved,

Hindus traditionally cremate

A priest is called to perform prayers.

Prayers are recited all the while and the casket

Last prayers and rituals are conducted by chief

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