7. Customs (4): Antyeṣṭi Saṃskāra

[Full title: 7. Sacraments (religious practices) (4): Antyeṣṭi Saṃskāra]

When a person dies, he undergoes the last saṃskāra (i.e., antyeṣṭi saṃskāra) is performed. Traditionally, the dead body is burnt on the wooden pyre, mantras are chanted and ghee and holy water are sprinkled on the pyre. The eldest son of the deceased performs the last rites. There is vivid description of antyeṣṭi saṃskāra seen in the Harṣacarita, when the king Prabhākaravardhana was dead. At that time many rituals were performed by Harṣavardhana, due to the absence of his elder brother Rājyavardhana. When the king expired, king Harṣa and all his ministers and feudatories had been carrying his dead body in their shoulders up to the funeral places (bank of the river Sarasvatī) and had been honoured with fire according to the family priests.^[1] It shows at that time, generally, funeral pyre was performed on the bank of the river. Manu also prescribes that people had alone the pitṛpiṇḍadāna^[2] in the bank of the rivers. Prince Harṣa also first offered oblation (i.e., pretapiṇḍa^[3]) to the dead and to the brāhmaṇas.^[4] In this context, the author mentions that at that time the impurity due to the death of a sapiṇḍa lasts for ten days.^[5] Manu^[6] also supports it. After ten days, not only the bed, vehicles and other things of the dead were given to brāhmaṇas,^[7] but king’s beloved and best elephant^[8] (i.e., the victor in great battle) were, too, let loose. The bones (kīkaseṣu) were taken to tīrthas.^[9] At last, the funeral pyre was covered with a plaster of cūnam, which was known as caityacihna^[10] (i.e., monument or tombstone). Thus, all things of the king were being cast aside.^[11]

This type of saṃskāra is highly believable in the modern times also and something the individual can lead an integral life growing with society.