Hinduism Funeral Rituals Leslie Purnell Religion 215: Death and the Afterlife Dr. Posman October 18, 2011
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Death is inevitable. Some people have different outlooks on death such as a joyous time, a mournful time, and others may have mixed emotions. There are many religions in this world, and each of them have different funerary rituals. Hindus have a unique twelve-‐day process in which they go through when a person dies. Throughout those twelve days, many rituals are performed. Out of the numerous funeral rituals some are conducted for the deceased while others are carried out for those left behind. I will be discussing three rituals for the deceased, and three for the mourners.
As soon as the deceased member of the family is pronounced dead, the family
gets right to the planning of the funeral rituals. Others will come from all over once they hear the news of the recent death. The family hires a chef to help out with certain eating habits, and to help feed the guests. The book discusses how, “During this period, however, great care is taken to observe a strict vegetarian diet at home and outside. Any cooked meat (including eggs) lying at home is either given away or discarded” (Parkes et. al 1997, 55). The book also states that the guests and family sleep on the floor every single night. Since the deceased is on the floor others want to be respectful as well. All throughout the twelve-‐day rituals close family and friends take off work so they can devote themselves to the rituals. Out of those three rituals none of them are directly related to Hindu religious beliefs. None of the rituals have special religious meaning behind their actions. They are mainly
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performed for the mourners themselves. Taking off work for twelve days helps the individual have enough grieving time. The food and sleeping arrangements benefit the people in a way in which they can all do things together as a group. The mourners eat and sleep together for support and comfort. Another group activity deals with letting out emotions.
When dealing with the death of a loved one, there can be a lot of emotions
that a person feels. Hindus make sure they make time out for themselves to release those emotions by wailing. “They all congregate in a room specially allocated for this meeting. The widow generally sits in the centre of the room, noticeable by all the women around her. They have all assembled to mourn and grieve for the departed soul” (Parkes et. al 1997, 63). In no way does crying help out the deceased. This ritual is done to help the mourners release their tense emotions. There are no religious practices that coincide with this ritual. People are not supposed to mourn over the decease because they know he will be reborn again, and continue on in the cycle of samsara. Another funerary ritual complete mainly for the mourners is tonsure.
Attachment to hair is not a value one should have if they are Hindu. The book
refers to the fact that the sons of the deceased shave their heads except of a small patch in the front. Most but not all sons actually take action to perform this ritual. The shaving of the head can have a dual meaning for the deceased and the mourner. For the mourner, it can help symbolize the great loss they just experienced, and now they have a new identity in the family. As for the deceased, “Shaving the head is an offering from the sons to the departed soul” (Parkes et. al 1997, 56). This ritual
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pertains to religious teachings in the concept of sacrifice. The sons are sacrificing their hair as a sign of devotion. Since we have discussed three rituals done for the mourners let us now turn our attention to rituals practiced for the person who passed away.
After the person has passed away, it is common for some prayers to be lifted
up to the gods in honor of the deceased. Strength in numbers is what Hindus have when it comes to praying. All of the ceremonies conducted at home along with the visitors and priests help make up a strong prayer community. “The family decides to arrange a twelve-‐day religious ceremony at home. This involves a relay of priests staying at the house for all of the days of the ceremony, reading from sacred texts, reciting holy verses from the Gita, and singing devotional songs of Kabir and Ravidas, to the accompaniment of music.” (Parkes et. al 1997, 55). Those practices are directly related to Hindu beliefs. Devotion to the gods is a main concept in Hinduism. By praying they are helping the deceased have a better journey into their next life. In order for the deceased to move on their soul needs to be released and that is done through cremation.
Cremation of a human body is a long process. Depending on the different
aspects of the body, it can take up to more then ten hours. Most Hindu families will have a representative to watch the deceased members body be cremated. “They will all wait until they hear the sound of the skull cracking open. (There is an ancient belief among Hindus that when the skull cracks open, the soul of the dead person is released.)” (Parkes et. al 1997, 61). The ritual of cremation is for the deceased because of the end result of his soul being released from the non-‐breathing body. A
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concept of Hinduism is doing fire sacrifices. Cremation is indeed a fire sacrifice to the gods. The last ritual in the funerary process is the last piece to the puzzle for the deceased.
The Ganges River is a sacred place in the Hindu religion. Once the cremation
is complete the final process is to dispose of the ashes. The book states that after the family priest offers words and prayers up to the gods the ashes can be released into the river. “In accordance with ancient Hindu customs, the ashes will be immersed in the river Ganges to ensure the spiritual salvation of the deceased” (Parkes et. al 1997, 61). This ritual is for the deceased in the fact that it finally reaches salvation. Releasing the ashes into the river also represent reincarnation. A saying in Hindu is that they are all drops of water in the same ocean of consciousness. Being released into the river is directly related to the Hindu belief of being one with everything.
Every funeral is unique in its own way. In Hinduism there are reasons for
some actions while there are none for others. A major reason why Hindu funerals are the way they are is because, “It is the sacred duty of the family and one’s sub-‐ community to deal with death in their family in accordance with the teachings, to perform all the expected rites and rituals, to engage in acts of piety and charity so as to ensure the peaceful repose of the departed soul” (Parkes et. al 1997, 67). Some minor reasons the funeral is carried out in that fashion is to help those left behind deal with the loss of a loved one. As well as to make a unique statement for the deceased in doing something special that means something to the family. Certain rituals are performed for the deceased while others are for the mourners. Each
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ritual has its own meaning and reason, and the ultimate goal is for the deceased to achieve salvation.
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Bibliography Parkes, Collin Murray, Pittu Laungani, and Bill Young. Death and Vereavement Across Cultures. New York: Routledge, 1997.