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ANTYESHTI SANSKAR
(Funeral Sacrament)
An
analysis on Death
When the soul (atma) leaves the body,
then the body is said to be dead. The death occurs of the body and not of the
soul. Then what happens to the soul after it leaves the body?
After leaving the body the soul goes
into the space above and in due course, is born again according to its deeds. In
the Vedic verses which are recited during the funeral sacrament, it is
repeatedly stated that the soul takes on new body after leaving the old body.
Rishi Dayanand has chosen these verses with great care and skill. The meanings
of the verses are given in the book Sanskar Chandrika. While conducting the
funeral sacrament effort should be made to understand the depth of meanings of
those verses because those verses state the deep truth about life.
Funeral
Prayer
O
truthful, conscious, blissful God! Accept our salutation. You alone are the
creator, regulator and protector of this universe. You are independent and most
powerful in giving motion to all and in ruling over-all according to Your
principles. Your rule which is just and unbiased is famous everywhere.
O God! Your
creation is astonishing, Your deeds are unequalled, You make the joyous suffer
and vice-versa but all this is based on such strict unchangeable rules, that
ordinary beings are unable to understand the essence of it. You give out justice
to all according to their deeds. You determine the species, age and the fruits
of one’s actions. When one’s present life is to come to an end, then the soul
leaves the body in accordance with Your rules. The same has happened to the
soul, which has departed from this body.
O just God! We pray
that You encourage the soul that has departed from the body to follow the
righteous path of great seers who have themselves reached esteemed heights of
knowledge and have shown the righteous path to thousands and through their
brilliant intellect have shone like the sun and had the vision for the welfare
of the country and the society. Further more, those seers meditated on the
Vedic mantras, practised them in life and followed strict rules and regulations
and were duty bound.
O Almighty God! May
the departed soul not fall prey to its senses on rebirth. May the soul recognise
those undesirable qualities, like excessive attachment to senses, which bring
about greed, causes the downfall of the soul, becomes the cause of bondage and
the cycle of life and death. May the soul not accept and become attached to
them.
O God! You give out
justice to all according to their deeds. We pray that You give encouragement to
the departed soul to strive for achievement of salvation.
O God! Please give
strength, good sense and peace to the children and the relatives of the deceased
so that they may bear the loss and complete their journey of life righteously
and become the subject of Your mercy and devoted to You.
Materials
for funeral ceremony
The materials, which have been listed
from1-8 below are the minimum requirements. The quantity of ghee and other items
should not be less than the quantities shown. If one can afford to buy more,
then this should be done by all means. However if one is poor, then someone who
can afford to buy should assist. Otherwise the residents of the area and others
should assist. These items need to be burnt together with the body so that there
is as little pollution as possible from the burning body. If ghee and other
items are not used in adequate quantity then there will be foul smell in the
atmosphere, as a result of which diseases could spread to the people. By using
large quantities of these items there will be much benefit to all. This is a
noble activity. The relatives and friends of the deceased who do such noble
deeds would receive the fruits of their good action.
MATERIALS
1.
20 litres pure ghee
2.
10 kg rice
3.
10 kg sugar
4.
Four packets camphor
5.
24 packets Agarbatti
6.
4 dozen hawan samagree-Dasangam or Parimal brand
7.
Two dozen dry coconuts
8.
Cinnamon –1/2 kg, cardinum – ½ kg and cloves – ½ kg
9.
One packet matches
10.
Two large basins
11.
Two buckets
12.
Two round and two straight spoons with one metre each wooden handles tied
on to them for easy handling.
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