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Vaishnava Funeral Rites
Compiled by BRS Swami Gaurangapada
Vaishnava Antyesti-kriya: Funeral Rites
hari-namadmoksara-yuktom
bhale gopl-mrddnkitam tulasi-mdlikoraskarh sprseyur na yamodbhatah
"Those whose body is
adorned with tilaka or gopi-candana, and marked all over with the Holy Names of
the Lord, and whose neck and chest are adorned
with tulasi-mdld, will
never be approached by the Yamadutas." (Skanda Parana)
1. Introduction
This is the last
samskara, the last ritual associated with the body which it will purify one
last time.
This ritual is performed
in order for the soul to become detached from the body and not have to take on
the form of a ghost (preta), as well as to make sure the departed soul is
promoted to a better world.
This universe is also
called the kingdom of death! Yet man foolishly thinks he can become immortal by
fighting the invincible material nature (see Mahabharata, Vana-parva 313.116).
But in the Svetasvatara Upanisad (3.8), it is said that only those who know the
Absolute can transcend the world of
birth and death.
Thus Vaishnavas who
worship the Lord, their heart filled with love, and constantly chant His Holy
Names are sure to carry on their spiritual activities in this world or the
kingdom of God (Vaikuntha). Therefore their
family and friends are not so attached to executing all the rites of
antyesti-kriya. Actualy, There is no trace of this ritual to be found in the
Sat-kriya-sara-dipika and it is only briefly mentionned in the samskara-dipika,
in connection with a sannyasi's funeral.
In the
Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Maharaja Parikslt asks Sukadeva Gosvami before dying:
"Tell me of the duty of everyone in all circumstances, and specifically of
those who are just about to die." (S.B.I.19.24). Sukadeva Gosvami answers:
"The highest perfection of human life is to remember the Personality of
Godhead at the end of life." All the sathskaras performed during one's
life help a person to become purified and remember the prime duty: reach the
original abode (Goloka Vrndavana). Sarhskaras help us to mold our existence so
as to remember the Lord at every step.
Canakya Pandita says that
if we seek salvation, then we must remember that death is always near, waiting
to seize us at every moment. But if we seek sense gratification instead, we had
better think that we shall never die. As for whoever remembers Krishna at the
time of death, they will live with Him.
(E.G. 8.5, 6). No more
rebirth, for they never return to this world as promised by Shri Krishna (E.G.
8.15-16). That is the conclusion of the Vedanta,
as expressed in its last
sutra...
2. The Procedure
In a letter to Revatmandana
dated November 14, 1973, Srfla Prabhupada writes about a devotee's funeral:
"Just hold a condolence meeting and pray for his soul to Krishna for
giving him a good chance for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Certainly
Krishna will give him a good place to take birth...
But, we offer our
condolences to a departed soul separated from a Vaishnava... Three days after
the demise of a Vaishnava a function should be held for offering the departed
soul and all others prasadam. This is the system." (See Shri
Chaitanya-cdritamrta, Antya-llla, for the chapter on the disappearance of
Haridasa Thakura).
Rituals are more or less
the same according to time, place and circumstances (kala, desa, pdtrd). In the
section dealing with rituals, we will explain the procedure used in India.
In the West, we cannot
imitate India for we have to follow the laws in force: inform the civil
authorities as soon as a Vaishnava quits his body (so that the cause of death
may be determined), then cleanse the body, dress it with Vaishnava clothes,
adorn it with tilaka and flower garlands (maha) from the Lord's arca-vigraha,
write the Lord's name on the body and forehead with sandalwood pulp. Plac e
(offered) tulasi leaves in or on his mouth. If sacred water is available
(Ganga, Yamuna, Radha-kunda, etc.), sprinkle some on the body. After covering
the body with a harinama-chadar, take it to the crematorium. Meanwhile, someone
should take care of the required
138 "There is no
coming back because of God's word; no, there is no coming back because of God's
word." (V.S. 4.4.22). formalities so that cremation of the body is done as
soon as possible. The Jayakhya-samhita explains that boys under five years and
girls under seven years should be buried instead. In that case, tarpana rites
do not have to be performed.
Make sure that cremation
does not take place on Ekadashi or Maha-dvadasi. (otherwise, postpone it until
the next day). Cremation should take place during daylight hours.
*o On that day, family
members should fast all day and eat light food (salads, fruits, etc.) for three
days. It is even recommended to eat outside one's home and avoid having to cook
for consciousness permeates the food. Mourning inspires a certain modesty, a
respect full of dignity and gravity. There is no question of distraction
(television, cinema, cafe, restaurant, amusement park, etc.), during mourning;
it is better to read the scriptures. On that same day, perform one last
ceremony in the crematorium shrine where a reading of the scriptures should be
held for family and friends, etc. A soft klrtana should be performed as the
body is carried to the incinerator while a brahmana offers prayers.
*o Retrieve the ashes
from the cremation service and before one year has passed, bring them to India
and throw them in a sacred river like the Ganges, the Yamuna, the Godavari, the
SarasvatI, the Narmada or the Kaveri as advised by local Vaishnavas.139. Most
Vaishnavas take the ashes of the departed to Mayapura, or Vrndavana and scatter
them in the Yamuna at Kesi-ghata or Ganga at Navadvipa. Before doing so, mix
them with panca-gavya and earth from the banks so as to form a homogeneous
ball.
*o Three days after the
death, a feast should be offered to the Lord's arca-vigraha on behalf of the
departed. Vaishnavas will honor this prasadam along with the family of the
departed afterwards.
^ If the departed lived
outside the temple, the brahmana who took part in the ceremony will accompany
the other members of the family to their home where the children and he will
enter first. The home will then be purified by burning dried cow dung coated
with ghee while the brahmana recites auspicious mantras. Some traditions
recommend sleeping
139 According to some
authorities, the ashes should be collected on the fourth day.elsewhere, for
instance at a Mend or relative's house for a "change of scenery". ^
Eleven days after the demise, a program should be organized in honor of the
departed140, an altar should be set up and a puja as well as an offering of prasddam should be done. A salagrama-sila
can also be worshipped for the occasion, as recommended in the Padma Purdna,
since that is quite
auspicious. A fire
sacrifice (avdhana-homa) may also be performed by offering halavd unto the
flames, then to all present. The mahd-prasddam should be offered before a
picure of the deceased.
^ The priest will take
prasddam first and if the deceased was a member of the female sex, a brdhmanl
or VaisnavT should also be fed first by the host.
3. Asaucha or Contamination Period
*- The death of a
relative involves a contamination period whose length varies according to
family status. During this time, one should not study the holy scriptures,
perform fire sacrifices, worship the Deity (or only through mdnasa-puja), or
receive guests. However, if one has taken vows which involve daily Deity
worship or study of the scriptures, etc., such vows should not be broken. One
must take advantage of this period to settle all the administrative problems
linked with death. This asauca period lasts 10 days for a brdhmana, 12 days for
a ksatriya, 15 days for a vaisya and 30 days for a sudra. If death strikes a
distant relative, the asauca period lasts 3 days.
The priest performing the
funeral rites is not involved in the contamination (asauca) periods linked with
the deceased.
4. Sraddha-kriya: Rite for the Welfare of Forefathers
* So that the deceased
does not wander like a ghost in the ether with only a subtle body, but instead
takes on a body with which he may live pleasantly on the planet of the Pitrs,
which offers certain delights, one must make offerings to him and at end of
sraddha to the other Pitrs. During the contamination period, one offers the
deceased daily water. The eleventh day after the demise (for the relative of a
brahmana), the house is purified, offerings are made to the departed and eleven
brahmanas are fed..
^ From that day on,
sraddha ceremonies should be performed every month for a whole year. On the
sixth and twelfth month, two special sraddha ceremonies should be added to the
usual ones. Afterwards, an annual sraddha is performed on the anniversary day
of the departed's demise.
^ In the realm of
karma-kanda, the sraddha ceremony is performed for those who received the
antyesti-kriya-samskara. It makes it possible to offer the wandering spirit a
material "support". According to the Pindopanisad, the soul no longer
has a physical body (sthula-sarird) after death, but wanders in a subtle body
(linga-sanrd) the size of a thumb and can neither drink nor eat. In this state,
the soul is called preta.
The soul thus stays three
days in water, three days in fire, three more days in space then travels on the
wind on the tenth day. On the eleventh day begins the pinda ceremony which
consists in offering food - small balls of rice cooked in milk with black
sesame, ghee and honey - to the deceased and his forefathers. Performed by the
eldest son, this ritual is repeated every month for eleven months along with
two sraddha ceremonies during the year. 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 ruled by
Yamaraja.
Of course, such rituals
do not erase the karma accumulated by the living entity throughout his past
lives.
The Garuda Purana
(11.34.44) explains that the offering of pinda re-forms a temporary body with
organs and senses that are equivalent to those we are
familiar with. This body
is built as follows according to the Garuda Purana:
* 1st offering: the head
* 2nd offering: the eyes,
the ears and nose
* 3rd offering: the
cheeks, the mouth and neck
* 4th offering: the
heart, sides, stomach, sexual organs
* 5th offering the waist,
the back and anus
* 6th offering: the
thighs
* 7th offering: the
ankles
* 8th offering: the
calves
* 9th offering: the feet
* 10th offering: hunger
and thirst
^ The sraddha ceremony
can also be performed during the twelve days following the death of the
deceased, on the basis of one offering per day.
"o*- Thus in due
course of time, the living entity will rejoin his forefathers' community on the
planet of the Pitrs, who will bestow their blessings upon the family that keeps
performing this ritual and protect its descendants. The birth of a son insures
that the ritual will be maintained,
thus preserving the
happiness of the Pitrs.
5. Vaishnavas and the Sraddha Ceremony
According to Vaishnava
scriptures, the sraddha ceremony may be performed for Vaishnavas, but only if
the priest is a Vaishnava and the offering to the
Pitrs is visnu-prasada.
The Vaishnava who
properly worshipped God, Shri Krishna, throughout his life need not worry about
his future destination. The sraddha ceremony is therefore not required for such
a person. The Vaishnava whose parents did not worship Shri Krishna can pray for
the salvation of their soul.
According to the Skanda
Purana, a person initiated by visnu-mantra should not seek fruitive results,
give in charity to get material rewards nor worship the forefathers. Similarly,
in the Hari-bhakti-vilasa (9.308), it is written that those who daily worship
Lord Hari for their forefathers' satisfaction need not offer oblations in
charity or perform the srdddha ceremony during which pinda-dana is offered.
"One who has given
up all material duties and has taken full shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda,
who offers shelter to all, is not indebted to the demigods, great sages,
ordinary living beings, relatives, friends, mankind or even one's forefathers
who have passed away. Since all such classes of living entities are part and
parcel of the Supreme Lord, one who has surrendered to the Lord's service has
no need to serve such persons
separately." (S.B.
11.5.41)
6. Practical Sraddha
*o Vaishnavas can engage
the sraddha ceremony in the service of the Lord and the deceased will reap the
fruits thereof. To please Krishna, one can sow one
or many fruit trees on
behalf of the departed. The fruits of these trees can then be offered to Shri Krishna
after every harvest. The same can be done with
decorative flower trees
or one may offer a cow and calf for its milk.
*o One can also
distribute prasadam or books like the Bhagavad-gita on behalf of the departed
on his disappearance day, or make donations for the
Deities' puja or any
project related to Shri Krishna, also on behalf of the deceased.
Antyesti (The Last Rites)
FROM SAMSKARA DIPIKA
This is the last
samskara, the last rite for sanctifying the body in this material world. The rites are not described in Sat Kriya Sara
Dipika, and are mentioned only briefly in Samskara Dipika in relation to the
burial of a sannyasi. The standard
rituals are performed to insure that the departed soul does not remain in the
form of a ghost or preta, and to insure the best possible destination. Since the sincere vaishnava who worships the
Lord out of love and chants his name is assured the best possible position to
pursue his spiritual activities, his relatives and friends are less particular
in executing all the rituals which ensue after death.
...Hold a condolence
meeting and pray for his soul to Krishna to give him a good chance for
advancement in Krishna consciousness.
Certainly Krishna will give him a good place to take birth where he can
again begin in Krishna conscious activities.
That is sure. But we offer our
condolences to a departed soul separated from a Vaishnava. ...After three days
a function should be held for offering the departed soul and all others
prasadam. That
is the system.
letter of Shrila Prabhupada to
Rebatinandana, Nov.14,
1973
The passing of an
elevated Vaishnava is illustrated by the burial of Hari das Thakura:
After a hole was dug in
the sand, the body of Haridas Thakura was placed in it. Remnants from Lord
Jagannatha, such as his silken ropes, sandalwood pulp, food and cloth were
placed on the body. All around the body,
the devotees performed congregational chanting, and Vakresvara pandita danced
in
jubilation.
CC Antya v.4.p.31
In the context of society
however it may be necessary to observe the rules, as was the case with the
passing away of King Dasaratha, Pandu and Bhisma. Thus some orthodox Vaishnavas
carry out the full vedic anthyesthi rites and sraddha kriyas.
Different puranas and
smrti scriptures give different details of rites to be observed, and thus,
according locality and family the customs differ to some
degree.
Procedures:
When a person is nearing
death it is recommended that the person give a gift of a decorated cow
(vaitarani) to a brahmana to ensure his safe passage over the river of
death. If a cow is unavailable he should
give an equivalent sum of money. Gifts
of iron pots, salt, land, grain, ghee and laddu are also recommended. Mahabharat recommends that
Vishnu Sahasra Nama be recited at this time.
It is customary that the dying person should hear the names of the Lord.
The legitimate claimant to the last rites may whisper the karna mantra starting
with "ayusah"in his ear (a vedic mantra). Lamps may also be lit. Some
people place tulasi prasadam and caranamrta or Ganga water in the person's
mouth.
When it is confirmed that
the soul has passed from the body, the body may be shaved (optional), bathed
and clothed in clean, preferably new cloth or silk, and placed on a mat on the
floor. According to some traditions, new
cloth should be obtained, washed, and while still wet placed on the body. If
the deceased is an old man, he should
be clothed in white; middle aged men wear red, and young men and women wear
colored cloth. Widows wear white,
black or blue. The face
may remain uncovered at this time while family members pay their last respects.
Tilak should be applied.
Then a frame made of
udumbara wood, a cot or carriage should be supplied to carry the body. The body should be placed upon it, with the
face covered.
The eyes should be
closed, limbs straightened, and the big toes and thumbs should be tied together
with string. The body should pass out of the house feet first.
Since cremation should not take place after dark, if the
person dies during the daylight hours, preparations should be hastily made so
that the burning will take place before sunset.
Otherwise the body should be taken after sunrise the next day. The body should be burned before
decomposition sets in.
One man sprinkling water,
followed by a man with a pot of fire should lead the procession. The body should be follow next, and neither the fire nor the body
should be dropped along the way. No one should walk between the fire and the
body, or walk along side the body.
Behind the body the family
should follow, the elders
first, women and children last. The bearers of the body should be bathed,
shoeless and without upper cloth on their bodies.
The members of the
procession should also be without upper cloth, and hair should be unbound.
The place for cremation
should be a clean place, on a river bank, a mountain or a forest.
When the procession
arrives at the site, they should take bath, they should bathe the body and
place it upon kusa with the head facing south.
Ghee should be smeared over the body,and again it should be bathed,
while saying:
om gayadini ca tirthani
ye ca punyah silocayah
kuruksetram ca gangam ca
yamunam ca saridvaram
kausikim candrabhagam ca
sarva papa pranasinim
bhadravakasam gandakim
sarayum panasam tatha
vainavam ca varaham ca
tirtham pindarakam tatha
prthivyam yani tirthani
saritah sagarams tatha
dhyava tu manasa sarve
krta snanam gatayusam
(Having meditated upon
all the holy tirthas, rivers, and oceans, the
deceased has bathed in
all these rivers.)
The body should be
dressed in two pieces of fresh cloth and new yajnopavita. Garland and candana should
be applied. Pieces of gold or bell metal
should
be placed on the two
ears, the two eyes, the two nostrils and the mouth. The face should be covered
with another cloth. A body should never
be burned without clothing.
The kunda for the
cremation should be the length of the person from toe to outstretched hand, as
wide as his outstreched arms and as deep as the measurement from the person's
toe to his chest. The hole should be
cleansed and smeared with cow dung and water, and then filled with wood.
The body should be placed
on the pyre with the head pointing south (according the followers of Samaveda)
or north (according to followers of the other vedas). Men should be laid with face downwards, and
women should be laid on their backs, with face upwards. Wood may be piled over the body
also.
Saying
om devas cagni mukhah
sarve enam dahantu
(May all the devas with
agni as their mouth consume the body in flames)
The claimant to the last
rites should take fire in his hand. He
and his assistants, should circumabulate the pyre three or seven times, and
then, approaching the head, and facing south, he should apply fire near the head, over the mouth, or on the
chest, while the others apply fire to the wood under the body, going towards
the feet.
When the fire has burned
until only a few remnants remain, they should each take seven sticks of wood
one pradesa in length, and circumabulating the pyre seven times should offer one into the fire each time
around, saying:
om kravyadaya namas
tubhyam
(I pay my respects to the
personality of funeral fire.)
He should take an axe and
hit the wood of the pyre seven times. Bones may be collected at this time and
kept in an earthen pot.
Each assistant should then take three or seven pots of water
and pour them over the fire to extinghuish it.
The slected member should the place a earthen pot filled with water on
the pyre and cover it with an earthen dish, in which he should place five or
eight coins. While the others turn away
from the pyre without looking back he should break the pot with a stone or
brick, and coming around the pyre in counterclockwise direction he should leave
the place without looking back. They
should then proceed to take bath in a river
or the ocean, the elders going first.
The burner of the body
should shave, and all persons attending should bathe with loosened hair. All cloth should be washed. After bathing,
facing south with yajnopavita over the right shoulder, wearing lower cloth only
they should say:
om apah nah sosucad agham
(May this action purify
us of sin.)
Stirring the water with
the ring finger of the left hand , they should submerge themselves under water
once and then performing acamana, they should offer tarpana three times.
------------dasam
sitalodakena tarpayami
(I offer cool water for
the satisfaction of------)
Then taking bath again,
they should rise from the water, the children going first. They should remain away from the house until
night. Only with the permission of a brahmana may they return before this time.
On approaching the house
of the departed person they should place neem leaves between their teeth , and
touching leaves of the sami tree they should say:
om sami papam samayatu
(May the sami leaves
eradicate the sin.)
Touching a stone wih
their feet they should say:
om asmeva sthiro bhuyasam
(May I be steady like a
rock.)
Touching fire they should
say:
om agnir nah sarma
yacchatu
(May fire give us shelter
and happiness.)
They may then enter the
house, the children going first. The
house may be cleansed by fumigating it with cow dung smoke three times and then
sprinkling it with flowers, sesame and rice paddy.
On the day of the
ceremony no cooking or eating should be done.
If ones mother, father or husband dies one should fast for three days,
or if that is
not possible, then one
should take only fruits. From the fourth
to the tenth day one should eat havisyanna once a day during the daylight
hours.
According to ancient authorities
the bones should be collected on the fourth day (or later ) after the cremation
has taken place. They should be placed
in a jar which is covered
with deer skin and silk cloth and tied
with a kusas grass cord. This should be
submerged in a sacred river, to the accompaniment of chanting of the
aghamarsana sukta .
According to the Jayakhya
Samhita boys of five years or less and girls of seven years or less, and
sannyasis, should not be burned, but buried.
Other sources say that children of two years or under should be
buried. In that case tarpana need not be
done. After burying the child one should submerge oneself once in water.
Throwing bones in the
Ganga:
One should bathe in the
Ganga, and performing acamana, facing north, holding sesame and water one
should perform sankalpa;
visnur om tat sat
adya -------masi
------pakse
----tithau
----dasasya etany asthini gangayam viniksipami
(On this tithi, of this
frotnight, of this month I throw the bones of
_______in the Ganga.)
The person should chant
the purification mantras over pancagavya, and placing his yajnopavita over his
right shoulder he should wash the bones with the panca gavya. Mixing the bones with gold, honey, ghee and
sesame, he should seal them in earth, and holding the earth in his right hand
he should say:
om namo'stu dharmaya
(I pay my respects to
dharma.)
Entering into the water
he should throw the earth into the water saying:
om sa me prito bhavatu
(May he be pleased with
me.)
He should submerge
himself in water, then come out, look at the sun, and give gifts in charity.
visnur om tat sat
adya ----masi
----pakse
----tithau
----gotrasya
-----dasasya krtaitad
gangadhikaranakasthi niksepa karmanah samgatartham
daksinam idam kancana mulyam shri visnu devatam yatha sambhava gotra
namne
brahmanaya aham dadami
Dahana Adhikari (Claimant
to the last rites):
There is a specific order
of precedence of the person who should perform the
last rites including
burning of the body.
The order for a deceased
male is as follows:
The son, from eldest to
youngest, ,their sons, sons of their sons.
The wife, either childess
or with children.
Unmarried daughter,
betrothed daughter, married daughter.
Daughter's son.
Youngest to eldest
brother.
Youngest to eldest
half-brother.
Youngest brother's son,
oldest brother's son.
Youngest half-brothers
son to oldest half-broher's son.
Father, mother.
Daughter-in-law
Step mother
Grand daughter, married
grand daughter (through the son)
Wife of great grand son
Great grand daughter
Father's father, Father's
mother
etc.
other relatives including
uncles, cousins,
Disciple, guru, priest,
friend, friend of the father
Resident of the same
village of same caste
King.
Order for a deceased
female is as follows:
Eldest son, to youngest
son
Sons's son
Great grand son through
male lineage
Unmarried daughter,
bethrothed daughter, married daughter
Daughter's son
Husband
Daugher-in-law
etc.
Disciple or student of
husband or self
A brahmacari should avoid
performing funeral rites, but if others are unavailable he may perform rites
for parents, grand parents and guru. The parents of a brahmacari should perform
his funeral rites.
Asauca:
Following a birth or
death there is a period of contamination for the relatives of the person born
or deceased, the length of which depends upon the closeness of the relation,
caste and age of the decesased. Wtih the
decease or birth of a close relative a brahmana has ten days of asauca, a
ksatriya twelve days, a vaisya fifteen days and a sudra thirty days. If the relation is distant the brahmana will
have three days asauca.
If a child of brahmana
dies within ten days of birth, impurity is observed for ten days after the
birth by the father and mother only. If
the child dies within two years, asauca is one day.
If the child dies before
six years and three months, the asauca is three days for close relatives.
During the period of
contamination one should not study scripture, or perform homa, deity worship,
tarpana, entertain guests etc. If one is
performing deity worship one may perform , worship by manasa puja. However if one has made a vow to perform
worship of the Lord for his whole life, he should not break this vow, but
should continue the puja.
Those performing
sacrifice, students and realized souls, or one who has performed funeral rites
for a sannyasi does not obeserve asauca.
Sraddha Kriya
To ensure that the soul
does not remain in a subtle body
hovering on this earth planet, but will attain a comfortable body for enjoyment
on pitr loka, offerings are made to the departed person and the pitrs. During the asauca period daily offerings of
sesame and water, and pinda (rice mixed with sesame, ghee and honey) are given
to the departed person. On the eleventh
day (for a close relative of a brahmana) the house is purified, eleven
brahmanas are fed and offerings are made to the deceased. Beginning on that day, for the first year,
monthly sraddha ceremonies should be held.
As well, in the sixth and twelfth month additional sraddhas should be
conducted. Then every year, on the tithi
of the decease, annual sraddhas should be conducted.
According to Vaishnava
scripture, the sraddha rites may be performed, but the priest performing the
rites should be vaishnavas and the offerings
to the pitrs should be visnu prasada.
The inhabitants of
Pitrloka are generally men of the karma kandiya or fruiive activities category,
who have been transferred there because of
their pious
activities. They can stay there as long
as their descendants offer them Vishnu prasada.
SB 5.2.2
The sraddha ceremony of
oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on ekadashi tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls
on the
ekadashi day, the sraddha
ceremony should be held not on ekadashi but on the next day.
SB7.14.23
Antyesthi or Burial Rites
for the Sannyasi:
At the time of
passing from the mortal body, while the
Holy Name is being recited or sung, caranamrta, tirtha water or krishna
prasadam should be placed
in his mouth.
According to the
injuction that a sannyasi should not touch fire, some maintain that the body of
a sannyasi should not be burned. Others
state different rules for the different types of sannyasis (kuticaka, bahudaka,
hamsa and parama hamsa). Some additional
rites from scripture (eg. Vaikhanasa Dharma Sutra, Jayakhya Samhita,) and by
popular usage are as follows:
One should dig a
sufficiently deep hole on a river bank which flows to the ocean, or on the sea
shore. Vaishnavas select the Holy Dhama,
if possible.
The hole should be one
step larger the the height of the person.
If the body has already been burnt, the ashes or bones should be taken
to a holy tirtha and there placed in earth.
One should sprinkle the
hole with pancagavya and tirtha water.
One should shave the
person.
One should sprinkle the
body with pancagavya chanting gayatri and purusa
sukta or other mantras.
One may bathe the body
with conch water 108 times chanting om, and offer
fresh cloth and tilaka.
One may worship the body by offering 16 upacaras (asana,
footwash, arghya, mouthwash, madhuparka, mouthwash, bath, cloth, gayatri
thread, ornaments, sandalwood pulp, flowers, incense, lamps, krishna prasadam, obeisances).
The following samadhi
mantra, according to Gopala Bhatta Goswami in Samskara Dipika, should be written on his body (udsing
sandalwood pulp and tulasi leaf):
om klim shrim hrim shrim
lavana mrd yuji bhuvi svabhre svaha
One should offer
puspanjali to the body.
One should place the body
in the pit chanting gayatri.
The body should be in a
sitting or lying posture.
The danda should be
placed in his right hand, his upavita (gayatri thread) should be placed in his
left hand.
As a practical measure
the body is first covered completely with salt. Then everything is covered with
sand. Stones or some memorial may be placed over this.
The attending vaishnavas
should then be fed with krishna prasadam. The rites may be performed by his son
or any other person. There is no period of impurity (asauca) for performing
rites for a sannyasi.
No sraddha rites are
performed, but an offering to Narayana, may be performed on the eleventh day
from the decease. In that case, one should establish a fire and worship a murti
of Vishnu with 16 upacaras, and offer boiled rice mixed with guda, ghee and
fruits to the deity and the fire. One
should present twelve brahmanas with cloth and ornaments and worship them
withupacaras. One should feed the
brahmanas and give them gold. One should
chant Purusa Sukta and utter the twelve names of Vishnu.