Death - Procedures,
Rituals and Mantras
This book is dedicated at the lotus feet of His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who revealed to the whole world how to maintain
Kåñëa consciousness always, particularly at the time of death.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Very special gratitude is humbly made to:
His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami
His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami
His Grace Krpamoya Dasa:
"Vaisnava
Disappearance Rites"
Arcana Volume 1.2 : The
ISKCON Deity Worship Journal.
His Grace Prema Rasa Dasa:
"The Book of
Samskaras"
His Grace Sandipani Muni Dasa:
"The Book of
Samskaras"
Table of Contents
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Foreword
Illusion
As we step into the 21st millenium, we can look back and query the
phenomenal changes of the 20th century. Einstein’s ideas catapulted modern man
into a world of applied physics. Scientists were able to manipulate sub-atomic
particles and create atom bombs and silicon chips. Biotechnology ushered in a
new dimension when James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the
self-replicating structure of DNA. Their successes in manipulating DNA has led
to the production of everything from customised drugs to animal clones. Human
clones are no more a pipedream.
However mankinds’ so-called successes have simultaneously spawned
local and international rivalries, bitterness, hatred, ethnic cleansing, wars,
diseases and social degradation. Facilities for intense sense gratification
have unleashed an extensive decline in spiritual and moral values.
The obvious result is that
the members of modern human society
are rapidly forgetting their eternal relationship with God. Very few
people are spiritually awake to understand the importance of human life. We are
inclined to wholly identify ourselves with our gross material bodies and are
not aware that the body and the ‘self’ are different. Bewildered by the
illusory energy, we consider ourselves a permanent part of the material
creation.
Very few people can really understand that we are spiritual beings
and that, by nature, we are full of happiness. This inherent trait for
happiness has transformed into a tenacious desire for material sense enjoyment
and has doused our sense of responsibility. In a bid to fully satisfy the senses, we have become entrapped by the
stringent laws of material nature.
Most of us have no inclination to inquire about the ‘self’, beyond
the body and the mind. Hence we while away our precious time, with no desire to
go back to Godhead.
In the interim, things change from one
stage to another by the unfailing influence of time. The darkness of death is
inevitable and pampers no person. Death devours living entities at every
moment, snatching them without hesitation. You and I are fully(?) aware of
this, but such thoughts are cast to the distant recesses of the mind. We prefer to generate a feeling of security by encircling ourselves with friends and
family. We seek bodily comforts and strive for an increase in personal wealth.
Perhaps these would counteract the invasive material nature; inducing a release
from the certainty of disease, old age and death.
All this is nothing but an illusion.
The mighty empires of history have flickered and disappeared. Nothing can save
one from the onslaught of time. Nothing (?)(material) is permanent. Our
foolishness is truly amazing. We think that we are independent; that we can do
whatever we like; that we will not meet death in the near future. Despite the
presence of our loved ones, we cannot be protected from misery, disease and
death. No one can help. Our only shelter is the Lord. He guarantees our protection.
Lord Krsna says (Bg 9.31) "O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My
devotee never perishes." We should depend fully on the causeless mercy of
the Lord.
Fear of death
In Bhagavad-gita the Lord clearly says, mrtyuh sarva-haras caham: “I am all-devouring death.” Quite an unnerving statement. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the all-loving Father, the personification of Absolute
Love, also displays a frightening countenance. Yes! He does. As the blazing
fire of death the Lord causes great fear in the lives of those who have not
surrendered to Him.
Danger lurks everywhere. There is danger at every step. Everyone
is caught in the jaws of the crocodile of eternal time. At any moment death
will strike, plundering one’s treasured possessions and shattering the precious
relationships of family members, wife, children, society, country and many
other things. Nothing endures. Death will come. Every member of every family is
fallible. No one can save us from the cruel claws of death. Our children will
also die. No material body will ever survive in this struggle with material
nature. Death will finish everything. After death one will forget everything
about the present bodily relations. One is compelled to enter another body to
begin another chapter of life.
Death is the weapon of kala,
the time factor. Time is destructive. Everything in this material creation is
subject to destruction and dissolution. Hence practically everyone fears death.
Death has no consideration for any person’s desire. You may have the most
grandiose plans for the eternal benefit of humanity. But Yamaraja (?) does not
spare your life even for a moment, not allowing a second beyond what one is
destined to enjoy. No one can enhance our short period of life even by a
fraction of a moment.
In terms of cosmic time,
our lifespan is merely a flash. Yet for this brief moment we are simply too
busy, plotting and planning. Such is our degree of ignorance. Death severs all
family bonds. At death one changes families, moving into another, and another,
and another ...
You must know that:
You are an eternal, spiritual being.
Your body is definitely temporary.
Your body will definitely perish.
One who surrenders to Lord Krsna is fully protected by Krsna.
After giving up the present body such a person will not again receive a
material body.
The soul
A small spiritual spark is the basic principle of any material
body. It spreads its influence all over that body as consciousness. This
consciousness is limited to a single body. You are conscious of the pains and
pleasures of your body. The pains and pleasures of my body will be unknown to
you. Each body is the home of an individual soul.
The Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.9)
explains that the soul is atomic in size
and is much smaller than material atoms. It is therefore invisible even
in (?)(to) the most powerful electron-microscope. The Svetasvatara Upanisad (5.9) confirms that the dimension of the soul
is one ten-thousandth of the tip of a hair.
You and I are individual souls. In fact, so is every living
entity. The individual soul always remains a separate identity and is different
from the body. It is never the body. The spirit soul is sac-cid-ananda: eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. As
individual souls we remain infinitesimal in comparison to the Supreme Soul. We
can never, either individually or collectively, become equal to the infinite
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The qualities of the soul are truly amazing. The spirit soul
exists permanently and does not undergo
any change. The soul has no by-product. The passing of time has no effect on
the soul. It does not at any time become old and does not deteriorate like a
tree or anything material. The so-called old man, therefore, feels himself to
be in the same spirit as he was in his childhood or youth. The changes in his
body, the dwindling and the decay of his faculties, have absolutely no effect
on the soul.
The soul is primeval; it is never born. It is eternal and
imperishable. It can never be annihilated by any scientific device. In
fact, it cannot be cut, nor burned, nor
moistened, nor withered. It is eternally spiritual and constant. It can just as
easily power the body of a gigantic being as it does that of a microbic germ.
Any body, irrespective of species, can only develop because of the
presence of the soul. The soul leaves the body at death, transmigrating to
another body. With such a lucid background to our eternal nature, is there any
need for us to grieve for any living being?
Transmigration
Even sceptics have to agree that our bodies undergo continuous
change. From the body of a little child
we change to that of a youth; then to that of an adult and finally to that of
an old person. Simply page through your family photo-album to confirm this
truth. You can see yourself in many different situations, in a variety of
shapes and sizes. Yet you are able to identify yourself in practically all of
them, although there are many changes in form. Your identity remains constant
for you are the spirit soul. It is at the moment of death that the next change
occurs and the soul transfers to another body.
It is really not difficult to understand such a change. Just as I
would wear a set of clothes today and change into a fresh set tomorrow, the
soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
This transfer of the atomic soul to another body is done by the grace of the Supersoul a localized form of the Supreme Lord. The Supersoul fulfils the desire of the
atomic soul just as one friend fulfils the desire of another.
The consciousness we have created during our life is of utmost
importance. Our present body and present activities are the background for our
next type of body. If we have promoted our animalistic tendencies then it is
quite likely that we will receive a suitable animal body to properly fulfil our
desires. If we have fixed our consciousness on godly activities, we are sure to
receive a much higher form of life. If one has fully committed oneself to Krsna
consciousness, then one will be transferred to Krsnaloka in the
spiritual world to associate with Lord Krsna.
This constant transmigration of the soul from one body to another
is the cause of material existence. One takes birth according to one’s
activities in life. After finishing one term of activities, one has to die to
take birth for the next. The soul thus remains entangled in a continuous cycle
of material existence called samsara,
a chain of birth and death in the 8 400 000 species of life. Only devotional
service to the Lord can stop this process of conditional life. Without the
mercy of the Lord, one cannot stop the cycle of birth and death. Bhagavad-gita
(4.9) states that one who knows the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna's
appearance and activities, does not take birth upon leaving his body but
attains the eternal abode of the Lord.
The Time of
Death
At the time of death one’s
physiological condition is completely disturbed. The body malfunctions and is
racked with severe pain. One is overpowered by mucus and bile and the throat
chokes up. One can see the messengers of death standing before him, their eyes
full of wrath. This precipitates an onset of great fear. The mind becomes
bewildered and the person becomes totally helpless.
The moment of death is critical.
Thoughts accumulated during the course of one’s life gush out at this crucial
moment, each clamouring for attention. One’s state of being at the end of one’s
life can only be successful if one has developed one’s love for the Lord and
has made a habit of chanting
‘Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare /
Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’
A devotee of the Lord is most
fortunate. Despite any disturbing condition, the mind of a devotee will fix on
Krsna. Even though it may be very difficult to vibrate any sound, simply by the
divine grace of the Supreme Lord will one remember Krsna at the time of death.
For such a devotee death takes place
exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously. The spirit
soul will immediately transfer to one of the Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky. For the non-devotee the mind,
intelligence and ego will carry the soul to another gross body.
Mourning
We are inclined to search for happiness
in matter. This is especially true in our relationships with our family and
friends. Our strong attachments come to the fore upon hearing of the death of a
loved one. This lamentation can grow like a blazing fire. Seeing someone merged
in great sorrow kindles pain in the hearts of those present. You have surely
observed this whenever we (?)(you) attend a funeral. The relatives will weep
for the person that (?)(who) has ‘gone’. They do this although the body of
their beloved is still there, lying in state before them. This means people do
(?)(have some understanding) understand that the spirit soul is different from
the body. It is the spirit soul that has gone.
The great saints Angira and Narada
explain the reality of family relationships. By the arrangement of time, these
relationships exist only in the present. This temporary arrangement of father,
mother, son and daughter is made by the Supreme Lord. These relationships did
not exist before, nor will they stay in the future. Everything in the material
world is transient. Think of the small particles of sand on a seashore. A few
grains come together for a while and are then separated by the force of the
wind or the waves. Living entities also sometimes come together as a family
unit. They remain for a while but are soon separated by the force of time.
We should consider the body to be like
a dress. The body has no eternal relationship with the soul, which is eternal.
A change of dress is taking place all the time. These relationships are
temporary. The personality that you love is really the spirit soul, which never
dies. This being so, why should anyone lament? The body is made of material
elements and will always perish. That is why Lord Krsna says that one should
not mourn for what is not worthy of grief.
One who has grown wise in Krsna
Consciousness will not lament either for the living or for the dead. We can
never restrict the coming and going of happiness and distress. Happiness and
distress are nonpermanent. They appear and disappear like the winter and summer
seasons. We must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
Bhakti-yoga
Bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Krishna, is very practical for self-realization. It is a special process
that revives the lost relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme
Lord. Only the Supreme Lord can deliver one from all sins. He extends His mercy
and nullifies the results of one’s karma. We need to be humble and:
seek the shelter of Lord Krsna;
offer our loving service to the Lord;
think of Krsna with great faith;
worship Him with love.
Lord Krsna is the Supreme Absolute
Truth. He is the fountainhead of the visnu-tattva (?) (all forms of God). He is Mukunda, the giver of liberation. To know Krsna is to
attain eternal life.
Let us learn to forget our designations
as Indian, American, Hindu, Muslim, Christian and so on. Instead, day by day,
let us become more aware of religious principles. Let us happily perform some
simple sacrifice to please the Lord each day. We can do so with whatever we
have available. The Lord is willing to accept (Bg. 9.26) a simple offering of a
leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, provided it is done with love. Our
children, spouse and home are natural objects of affection. Krsna consciousness
is the best process to make your home pleasant and your family very happy.
This process of Krsna consciousness is
very easy. There are four things to make
one happy:
1) Chant ‘Hare Krsna’;
2) Offer your food (vegetarian) to
Krsna;
3) Discuss books like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam;
4) Worship Sri Sri RadhaKrishna.
The whole family can grow together in Krishna
Consciousness. Sit down together, every morning and evening, and chant the
“Hare Krsna
Maha-mantra.”
‘Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare /
Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’
You can sing the mantra in many, many blissful melodies. In this way one can mold any
family to develop Krsna consciousness.
Your spiritual progress in life will be
tested at the time of death. By the grace of the Lord a devotee can chant His
holy name at the time of death. Bhagavad-gita confirms that if one can
remember Krsna at death, he is immediately transferred to Goloka Vrndavana, or Krsnaloka,
without even perceiving the pains of death.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says our main concern in life should be to increase our attachment
and love for the Supreme personality of Godhead. He endorses the chanting of
the holy names of the Lord as the only means of deliverance. The Hare Krsna maha-mantra is recommended
for every person, even those who commit major offenses. As one continues chanting
one will gradually decrease one’s offenses. By chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra our love for
Krsna increases. The transcendental name of Krsna, even though uttered
unconsciously or by force of circumstances, can help one obtain freedom from
the greatest hurdle. By chanting the holy name of Krsna one becomes free from
the complicated meshes of birth and death.
Sraddha-kriya
According to Vedic teachings we owe a
debt to the forefathers of our family. To fulfil our obligations we are
expected to offer our respects to them in a sraddha ceremony. This sraddha is
meant to please Lord Visnu, the Supreme personality of Godhead, with offerings
of prasada food (it is only prasada
after it has been offered). In a first-class sraddha ceremony bhagavata-prasada
is offered to the forefathers.
Sraddha is specifically
performed to bring relief for one’s forefathers. Sometimes the forefathers may
be suffering from various types of sinful reactions, and sometimes some of them
cannot even acquire a gross material body and are forced to remain in subtle
bodies as ghosts. The Pindopanisad states
that the soul does not have a physical body (sthula-sarira) after death. It wanders in a subtle body (linga-sarira) and can neither eat nor
drink. In this state the soul is called preta.
The Preta Khanda section of the Garuda Purana explains further. A human
being that has been very sinful is denied a gross physical body after death.
His soul is trapped, earthbound, accompanied by the subtle body composed of
mind, intelligence and ahankara,
false sense of identity. The preta’s mind
is agitated by the urges of lust which he is unable to satisfy because he does
not have the material facilities to do so. Pretas
have no bodies of their own so they hunger for vicarious pleasures.
This ghostly position is very painful.
The preta is in an
intolerable situation, unable to fulfil any desires, and only able to create
disturbances. You and I have no way of determining the sinful activities
performed by any person. The sraddha-kriya
is, therefore, a special rite that caters for the welfare of the deceased
as well as that of the forefathers. To prevent the deceased from wandering like
a ghost in the ether, with only a subtle body, one must make offerings to him
and the other Pitrs.
At this point I wish to emphasise:
1. A vaisnava (?)(a devotee of Lord Krishna) is not obliged to perform such
duties, and
2. These rituals do not erase the karma accumulated by the living
entity throughout his past lives.
Sraddha-kriya is usually
performed by the eldest son. In the absence of a son, a male member of the
immediate family takes the responsibility. The death of any person brings about
a period of contamination. During this time, water is offered to the deceased
each day. When the period of
contamination (refer to page 22) is over the house is purified. The ‘pinda-dana’ ceremony begins on this
day. Offerings of food are made to the deceased and the forefathers. The Garuda-Purana (11.34.44) explains that
the offering of pinda helps to bestow
a temporary body to the deceased.
This pinda ceremony is repeated every month for eleven months. On the sixth
and twelfth months two special sraddha
ceremonies are held. The pinda ceremony
ends with a last offering, during the twelfth month, known as sapindadi-karana which enables the preta to obtain the body of a Pitr to enter the heavenly Pitrloka
planet.
Option:
The sraddha ceremony can also be performed during the twelve days following
the death of the deceased. In this instance, one offering is made every day.
Special note:
The Brahma-Vaivarta Purana states that the sraddha ceremony
should not be performed on Ekadasi.
Srila Jiva Gosvami confirms that the sraddha
ceremony should be held on the next day, or dvadasi. If one performs the sraddha
ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekadasi tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the sraddha is observed, and the purohita, the family priest, all go to
hell.
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Thoughts on Sraddha-kriya
Those people that do not engage in
regular devotional service to the Lord are bound by the rules and regulations
of fruitive activities. They are obliged to offer periodical food and water to
the forefathers of the family.
When death occurs in the family, some
people go on pilgrimage to the sacred Ganges, the Jamuna, the Godavari, the
Sarasvati, the Narmada or the Kaveri River in India. Here they offer prayers to
Lord Krsna (Visnu), beseeching Him for benedictions to ensure the well-being of the departed soul. They offer
oblations to their forefathers using sacred water. They then bathe in the holy waters for
their personal purification.
Thousands of men gather daily at a very famous Visnu temple in Gaya, India, to offer pinda to the lotus feet of the Lord.
They pray that their forefathers will attain material bodies to enjoy whatever
material enjoyment is due to them. It is interesting to note that, following
this principle, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to Gaya to offer pinda and respectful oblations to His
forefathers.
The sraddha ceremony is not meant to be a grandiose occasion. Narada Muni has
been emphatic about this. Even though one may be very rich, it is not necessary
to make expensive arrangements. Rather than inviting three brahmanas, one
should invite a first-
class Vaisnava. One should arrange for a recitation of the
wonderful activities of the Lord.
The Caitanyamangala, Madhya-khanda, describes that when Srivasa Pandita was performing the sraddha ceremony of his father, Lord
Caitanya ordered him to read the Sri
Visnu-sahasra-nama-stotra [the thousand names of Lord Visnu].
For Kali-yuga, the scriptures command that sankirtana-yajna
must always be performed: kirtaniyah
sada harih. Every ritualistic ceremony recommended in the sastras must be preceded and followed by
sankirtana. Chanting of the ‘Hare Krsna mantra’ and distribution of prasadam are essential. This is the recommendation
of Srila Jiva Gosvami.
Krsna consciousness and Sraddha-kriya
A Krsna conscious devotee does not need
to perform ritualistic ceremonies such as sraddha. There is no description of this ritual in the Sat-kriya-sara-dipika (what is this?) but it does have brief
mention in the Samskara-dipika (and this?). The Caitanya-caritamrta says that a person fully conversant with Krsna
consciousness does not perform any rituals. He knows that all rituals are
automatically performed simply by serving Krsna in full Krsna consciousness.
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5.41) states that“One
who has fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord is no longer a debtor
to his forefathers, the great sages, human society, the common man or any
living entity.” All obligations are automatically fulfilled by performance
of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Hari-bhakti-vilasa (9.308) states the
following:
1. There are many people who worship the Supreme Lord daily.
2. They have no need to offer oblations in charity.
3. They do not have to perform
a sraddha ceremony
.
Therefore, simply by surrendering to
Krsna, one can liquidate all obligations at one stroke. By always engaging in
devotional service for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord, one’s ancestors who
might have been in difficulty are automatically relieved. Simply by performing
devotional service, one can deliver hundreds and thousands of forefathers from
all kinds of misery.
Srila Prabhupada has stated that we should:
1. hold a memorial ceremony three days after the death of a
Vaisnava;
2. offer a feast to the Lord,
on behalf of the deceased.
Vaisnavas have taken a vow to worship Lord Krsna everyday. Any Vaisnava who
worships Lord Krsna does not have to worry about the future. The Lord will
ensure a proper situation for His devotee. Always remember that by taking the prasadam of Lord Visnu one will not
become a ghost or anything lower than a human being. By eating the remnants of
food offered to Krsna one is delivered from all kinds of sinful actions. The
secret to success is:
1. Chant the “Hare Krishna
Maha-mantra”.
‘Hare Krsna, Hare
Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare /
Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’
2. Eat only ‘prasadam’.
3. Worship Lord Krsna.
4. Always serve Lord Krsna, and His
devotees, with love.
Nevertheless, samskaras help us to mold
our existence so as to always remember the Lord at every step. There are vaisnavas that desire to have a sraddha
ceremony when they have a death in their family. The sraddha ceremony must be performed by a vaisnava priest. Only visnu-prasada
must be offered to the pitrs.
1. Continue with your ‘bhakti’.
2. Do your daily worship.
3. Chant your ‘rounds’ of “Hare
Krsna Maha-mantra”.
4. Chant extra ‘rounds’.
5. Have your ‘artik’.
6. Offer bhoga to the
Lord.
A vaisnava understands
the importance of distributing:
prasadam transcendental literature.
On behalf of the deceased person you can make a monetary donation
to facilitate any of the following:
Anadana : To offer foodstuff to the Deities of Sri Sri Radha
Krishna or Sri Sri Nitai Gaurahari in your local Hare Krsna Temple.
Puspadana : To offer flower garlands to the Deities.
Deities puja for that day.
Prasadam for the ‘Food for Life’ program.
Prasadam for the Sunday Love-Feast.
Free distribution of books.
PART TWO
Anyesti-kriya :
Funeral rites
We learn from Sukadeva Gosvami (SB.1.19.24), that the highest
perfection of human life is to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead at
the end of life. All the prayers and rituals we participate in during our
lifetime are meant to bring us to this goal, remembering Lord Krsna at death.
The Anyesti-kriya is the
last ritual associated with the body. It is a necessary samskara, the ritual to purify the body for the last time. This
ritual is performed to help the soul to become detached from the body. The soul
is assisted in not taking a ghostly form and in moving on to a better
situation.
You should mention that for
devotees, if there is a death in the family, they should request a qualified
devotee priest to perform the funeral ceremonies
The following is a guideline to what you may do when someone in
your family passes away.
Decorum
1. This is a period of mourning for the family.
2. The family undergoes intense emotional pressure.
3. It is a period that warrants dignity and gravity.
4. The culture of the entire family comes to the fore.
5. Relatives and friends must ensure befitting respect.
Custom
1. There should be no cooking. Small children can eat elsewhere.
2. Close relatives and friends can provide simple meals.
3. If one’s father, mother or spouse has died, one is expected to
fast for three days.
4. This fasting can be also done by immediate family members.
5. One may eat fruit if fasting is not possible.
6. During the period of asauca
(see page --) one should eat just one simple meal a day.
7. There must be regular scripture reading.
8. Have regular bhajans and kirtans to glorify Lord Krsna.
9. Definitely no forms of entertainment.
Before
death(?)(Should go before previous section)
1. A dying person must hear the maha-mantra.
2. You can loudly chant
the maha-mantra for the person’s
benefit.
‘Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare
Hare /
Hare
Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.’
3. You can play a recording of the maha-mantra.
4. Prasadam, in the form
of tulasi leaves, caranamrta, or Ganges water, must be put
into the dying person’s mouth. Recite:
ya vai
lasac-chri-tulasi-vimisra-
krsnanghri-renv-abhyadhikambu-netri
punati lokan
ubhayatra sesan
kas tam na seveta
marisyamanah (SB 1.19.6)
The river Ganges carries the most auspicious water, which is mixed
with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord and tulasi leaves. Therefore that
water sanctifies the three worlds inside and outside and even sanctifies Lord
Siva and other demigods. Consequently everyone who is destined to die must take
shelter of this river.
5. One may give a gift of a cow.
4. One may donate some money to serve the deities of Sri Sri
Nitai-Gaurahari or Sri Sri RadhaKrsna.
5. Gifts of land, grain or ghee may also be made to the deities.
Upon death
Outline of basic procedure:
1. For convenience the body is removed by an undertaker to his
premises.
2. A ‘Death Certificate’, endorsed by a registered medical
practitioner, is required.
3. The undertakers are well equipped to offer advice and
assistance on the legal formalities that have to be taken care of before
cremation.
Note: The Jayakhya-samhita states that boys under
five years and girls under seven years may be buried.
At the funeral
parlour
The corpse has to be prepared for the funeral rites. Excellent
facilities exist at most modern premises. Trained staff are in attendance to
ensure that the corpse is properly laid-out. The following has to be done.
1. The eyes should be closed.
2. The limbs should be straightened.
3. The body is shaved (optional) and then bathed.
4. Smear ghee over the body while reciting:
Om gayadini ca
tirthani ye ca punyah silocayah
Kuruksetram ca
gangam ca yamunam ca sarid-varam
Kausikim
candra-bhagam ca sarva-papah pranasinim
Bhadravakatam
gandakim sarayum panasam tatha
Prthivyam yani
tirthani saritah sagarams tatha
Prthivyam yani
tirthani saritah sagarama tatha
Dhyava tu manasa
sarve krta snanam gatayusam
“Having meditated upon all the holy places, rivers, oceans, the
deceased has bathed in all these rivers.”
4. Sprinkle a few drops of sacred water on body.
(Ganga, Jamuna,
Radha-kund, Sahasra Jal, etc)
5. Apply tilaka
on the body of a vaisnava.
Chant each mantra and
apply tilak.
Om kesavaya
namah (mark the forehead)
Om narayanaya
namah (the lower abdomen)
Om madhavaya
namah (the chest)
Om govindaya
namah (the neck)
Om visnave
namah (right side of the
stomach)
Om madhusudanaya
namah (right arm)
Om trivikramaya
namah (right shoulder)
Om vamanaya
namah (left side of the stomach)
Om sridharaya namah