HINDU
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Beliefs About
Death
The rites and rituals
performed when a Hindu dies are the last of 16 special ceremonies, or
samskaras, which begin at birth. For Hindus, death is not the end of
everything; they believe they have many lives and die many deaths before
being united with Brahman, the great soul or spirit that created the
universe.
At death, the Hindu
soul lives on and is reborn in another body, human or animal. The soul
is reborn again and again unless it breaks free of the cycle of reincarnation
and gains moksha, or salvation (when the soul is united with Brahman).
The next life depends on progress in the current life, and each life
either moves toward or away from moksha, in the process called karma
- the belief that all actions have their effects, good and bad.
Funeral Service
The body is washed
and dressed in new clothes. Sweet-smelling sandalwood is pasted and
rubbed on the deceased's forehead. The family priest helps with the
rituals.
In India
In India, the
body is covered with a white or orange cloth and placed on a bamboo
stretcher. It is carried to the cremation ground and is placed on
a platform of logs and sandalwood, the funeral pyre. The eldest son
or a close male relative lights the fire while the priest chants verses
from the Hindu sacred books to remind mourners that the soul lives
on (see text box). Melted butter or ghee is poured on the fire to
make it burn. An important moment is when the skull cracks, releasing
the soul for rebirth. Burning the body is a way of offering it to
Agni, the god of fire.
Outside India
Hindus living
outside India adapt the traditional funeral service and hold it in
a local crematorium. Many families make a special journey to India
to scatter the ashes in the River Ganges. Flowers may be sent, although
this is not considered a tradition. Mourners wear white; visitors
are expected simply to wear subdued colours.
Sacred Words -
Read during the funeral service.
- 'This soul within
my heart is smaller than a grain of rice, or a mustard seed, or a kernel
of millet. This soul within my heart is greater than the earth, the
air, the sky and all the worlds. This is my soul within my heart. This
is the All. And when I die, I shall merge into it.'
- 'When a person's
clothes wear out, he leaves them behind and puts on new and different
ones. And so the soul leaves a worn-out body and puts on a new and different
one.
Time of Mourning
The family returns
home and observes 10 to 12 days of mourning. Men do not shave; women
wear a plain white sari with little jewelry and remove the red mark
worn on her forehead since marriage; no sweet dishes are prepared in
the house. Prayers are said and offerings of rice balls and milk, called
pinda, are made at the family shrine to ensure the soul has a safe journey.
A final ceremony takes place on the tenth or 12th day, when the soul
is believed to have found a new body.
In India, three
days after the funeral the family returns to the cremation ground to
collect and scatter the ashes in the River Ganges. Hindus believe the
river Ganges water washes away sins and brings them closer to moksha.
This river is especially holy at the sacred city of Varanasi. Many Hindus
try to spend their last days in Varanasi so they can be cremated on
the riverbank - hoping to be saved from many rebirths.
Reference:
Ganeri, Anita, Journey's End - Death and Mourning, Peter Bedrick
Books. New York 1998
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