Death rituals.

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            Key Rituals and Practices:

1. Preparation before Death (Antyeshti):
   • Last Rites: When a person is nearing death, family members gather to offer comfort, prayer, and read from sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita. Holy water (often from the Ganges River) may be sprinkled, and a basil leaf (tulsi) might be placed on the dying person's tongue. The focus is on ensuring a peaceful transition for the soul.
   • Purity: The dying person is often moved to the floor, symbolizing their connection to the earth and detachment from worldly possessions.
   • Mantra Chanting: Priests or family members may chant mantras to help the soul focus and detach from the body.
2. Care of the Body after Death:
   • Washing and Preparation: Shortly after death, the body is typically washed by family members (same-gender relatives for modesty), clothed in new, often white, clothing, and adorned with sacred marks (e.g., tilak on the forehead). The toes are often tied together, and hands are placed palm-to-palm in a prayer position.
   • Open Coffin/Viewing: There is usually a period where family and friends can pay their respects and offer prayers, often with the body laid out at home or a funeral home.
   • Procession (Funeral Pyre): The body is usually carried on a stretcher or in an open casket to the cremation ground (ghat). The procession is often accompanied by chanting of "Ram Nam Satya Hai" (The Name of Ram is Truth).
3. Cremation (Dahana):
   • Preferred Method: Cremation is the most common and preferred method of disposing of the body in Hinduism. It is believed that fire purifies the body and helps release the soul from its physical ties, facilitating its journey to the next life.
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Sample Answer

       

Hindu Death Rituals and Practices

  Hinduism is a diverse religion with a rich tapestry of traditions, but certain core beliefs and practices regarding death are widely observed. The central tenet influencing Hindu death rituals is the belief in reincarnation (samsara) and the concept of karma. Death is not seen as an end but as a transition of the soul (atman) from one body to another, a cycle that continues until the soul achieves moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death).