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.

1. '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.'
2. '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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