The terms Shraddha श्रद्धा and Shraddh श्राद्ध are derived from a common root in Sanskrit. The shraddha means devotion or faith, whereas shraddh refers to a ritual, which is performed with devotion and faith after the death of a person.
In Hinduism, shraddh is a part of the last rite of the dead body known as Antyesthi Sanskar or funeral rite. It is assumed that the shraddh helps the departed soul reach its final destination, which depends upon the Karma, a sum of all actions an individual performs while alive on earth.
Socially, the shraddh signifies an expression of gratitude to the deceased by descendants or relatives. It is a universal human practice, approved in religions and civilisations since ancient times. Its format varies depending on the time, place and status of the deceased.
Mortality – According to the Hindu tradition, an alive human is a combination of physical body and soul. The physical body comprises five basic elements that include earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The soul is the mystical component and non-material essence of a person. It is commonly known as the source of consciousness, Jeev or Pran-vayu. When an individual dies, the soul leaves the body to realise the effects of karma.
Death of living things is a universal and inevitable occurrence and no one is immune to it. It is a painful experience for the loved ones left behind and causes them heartbreak and grief. Philosophical interpretations and platitudes such as death is ‘exchanging an old dress with a new one’, ‘liberation of a soul from its body’, ‘birth and death are a fact of life’, etc. generally do not console the griever.
Stirred by a sense of gratitude, the bereaved commonly pay homage and offer charity in the name of the deceased person. The dharma-shastras recommend elaborate rituals, which include prayers for the peace of the deceased and offering of material goods for use by the disembodied soul. These rituals are to be reasonable within the means of the family, to avoid a further increase in hardship following the death of the family member.
In a traditional rural environment in India and in orthodox Hindu families, when it becomes clear that death of the person is imminent, family members and friends gather near the dying individual. They offer Ganga-water and Tulasi leaf in the person’s mouth. Sacred verses from the Gita, the Ramayan or any other preferred texts relevant to the occasion are recited nearby to generate a peaceful and serene environment.
Once death has occurred, the preparation for cremation starts. Cremation of the dead body is done soon after the death, preferably on the same day. The practice varies among different communities and sects. Usually the body is washed and wrapped in a white cloth if the dead person is a man or a widow. If it is a woman whose husband is still alive, her body is dressed as an adorned married woman. Grieving for the deceased is a natural response however, on the death of an extremely old person, it is generally discouraged.
The dead body is carried on a bier made of bamboos and transported to the cremation ground. It is placed on a specially arranged pile of wood, the legs facing south. South is believed to be the region of Yam, the god of death. He is also known as Dharmaraj, responsible for deciding the next stage for the departed soul.
Sandalwood and clarified butter are generously added to the woodpile to accelerate wood combustion. A priest recites Mantras for the occasion. The eldest son or the person authorised to perform the rite, known as fire-donor, walks around the woodpile with the body in an anti-clockwise direction. He carries a pitcher filled with water, which is allowed to trickle during circumambulation symbolically purifying the pyre. Now a days daughters and female relatives also perform the offering of fire and associated rituals.
Following the circumambulation, the fire donor lights the fire near the dead body’s mouth. Once the pyre is ablaze, the performer and closest relatives circumambulate the burning pyre one or more times. The Kapala-kriya or cracking of the skull is the last stage of combustion. The offering of body to the fire is considered to be a sacrifice. In the process, the physical elements of the body are returned to the nature.
Once the body has completely consumed, the fire is extinguished. The ash along with any bone particles is collected and the site is cleansed with water. The collected ash and bone remains are immersed into a river considered sacred such as the Ganga or any other flowing stream or sea, or scattered on a mountaintop or otherwise disbursed, in accordance with wishes of the dead person or family members. This process is called Ashthi Visarajan and must be completed before the tenth day after death.
The dead body is considered polluted. All those who attend the cremation or are exposed to cremation smoke must take a shower or dip themselves into a body of water as soon as possible, following the cremation.
Where electric crematorium is available, the ritual is performed before submitting the corpses to the furnace in a modified form. The process varies on many factors including the place, sect to which the family adhere and the family’s social condition.
Nine days following the death and in some regions from the date of cremation are observed as a mourning period. During this time, the soul is believed to be floating around in limbo. The Pret Khand section of Garud Puran describes the status of the soul in detail during the grieving phase. Some families engage a priest to recite these sections to soothe their grieving.
The fire-donor lives an austere life during this time. He or she offers a Tarpan of water mixed with sesame seed and other items and lights a Diya, an earthen lamp in the name of the deceased every day until the tenth.
On the tenth day, the purification ceremony is performed. The main performer and other male family members shave their heads, beard, trim their nails and take a ritual bath. Women also perform a ritual bath. These practices are considered cleansing and vary among different groups, sects and regions. The house is cleaned and prepared for the next stage of activities.
Antyesthi Shraddh – Following the cleansing, the shraddh rituals are performed under the supervision of the presiding priest. The shraddh involves Pind-dan, offering of rice balls; Panch-bali, five propitiatory offerings; Pitr-bali, offering to ancestors; and tarpans, offering of water along with barley, sesame seeds, rice, milk and flowers to deities, sages and ancestors.
On the tenth day, the pind-dan is performed to the deceased. On the eleventh day pitr-bali is offered to ancestors and panch-bali to five different beings that include the cow, the crow, the dog, the deities and the ant. The tarpans are tendered to deities, sages and ancestors. In the name of ancestors, the presiding priest and guests are offered food and donations.
On the twelfth day, pind-dan and tarpans are offered to the deceased, ancestors, deities and sages. In addition, the materials that may be required in the afterlife of the deceased person are donated to the presiding priest. It is believed that charity offered to the priest will help the deceased maintain a dignified next life. Some sects and social groups have questioned and modified this part of the process.
On completion of the religious ritual, a Bhandara or feast is organised. Food is offered to the priests, guests and the poor to mark the completion of the ceremony.
These rituals grant the deceased a status of ancestral deity. He or she becomes a Pitr or ancestral deity and resides with other ancestors in the southern quarter of the sky and is worshipped together with them by his/her family, especially during religious events.
In some families, the shraddh is repeated at the anniversary of the death, which becomes a remembrance day for the descendants. Others perform it every month for the first year and then yearly. In some communities, this day marks a day when the poor and needy are offered food in memory of the dead.
The dharma-shastras, grihya-sutras and pauranic texts have devoted many chapters on the shraddh. The process described in Purans practically follows the Grihya-sutra and Manu and Yagyavalkya smritis. The Purans describe a number of shraddh and recommend sacred places such as the banks of the River Ganga, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gaya and other selected sites for their performance.
Gaya shraddh – The Garud Puran highly praises the performance of shraddh at Gaya during the pitri-paksh, the dark fortnight in the Vikram Samvat month of Ashwin (September-October). Stories from the Ramayan and the Mahabharat further enhance the importance of shraddh at Gaya.
It is believed that Lord Ram along with his brother Lakshman and wife Sita performed shraddh in Gaya for the salvation of his father. Karna of the Mahabharat performed shraddh at Gaya, after he was refused food in the heaven on the ground that he had never donated food to a deserving person. He subsequently regained his position in the abode of gods and deities.
The pind-dan and tarpan are main rituals at Gaya and hence the shraddh performed there is also called pind-dan. Socially, when both parents have passed away, then performing shraddh at Gaya during the pitri-paksh is considered to be a duty of their progeny.
Gaya is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhist and Jains. Especially for Hindus it is believed that ancestors expect their descendants to perform a shraddh for them in Gaya. During the pitri-paksh hundreds of thousands of Hindus from all over the world visit Gaya and perform the shraddh.
Generally, the process of shraddh is supposed to be held at numerous locations in Gaya over a period of a fortnight. However, it has been simplified and can be completed in a single day, to accommodate those who have limited time to perform it.
The one-day shraddh is performed at three locations that include the banks of the Phalgu River, in the courtyard of Vishnupad temple and near the Akshayvat tree. At each spot the performer or Yajman sits on the floor facing south and the priest facing the performer. The performer makes pind-balls of specific materials, which are procured before starting the ritual. The yajman performs the Puja as directed by the priest. The puja includes the offering of pinds and tarpans.
The procedure is repeated at each of the three locations. Pind at each location is also offered to presiding deities Phalgu River, Vishnupad temple and Akshayvat respectively. After the ceremony, the priest is offered Dakshina or remuneration for the service. On returning home, donations in the form of food, cash or feast depending upon the choice of the family are made.
If the performer arrives at Gaya in the morning, then after completing the shraddh one can depart the same evening. A local priest is required for performing the ritual. The priest can be arranged in advance online or though contacts or other relevant agencies.
It is believed that there is no need for further shraddh once it has been completed at Gaya.
Adapted practice – The death related rituals described above have an ancient origin. Many of the procedures have been modified and continue to be attuned to suit modern times and distant locations. Expatriate Hindus experience a social environment, which is quite different from India. Accordingly, they have modified rituals regarding death, cremation and shraddh.
For example, in Australia an old person in normal circumstances dies in a hospital or in an old person’s home. If the dying person or his/her family wish to recite sacred verses then a priest is arranged for recital.
After death, the corpse is stored in a mortuary and an arrangement is made with a funeral company, which provides the cremation facility.
On the cremation day, if the family decides to bring the body home then the dead body is brought home in a coffin and pre-cremation rituals are performed with the help of a priest. The body is then transported to the funeral house where family members and friends gather for a last visitation and goodbye.
Obituaries are read and sacred texts are recited. The pre-cremation ritual is performed. People offer flowers and walk around the coffin. After completing these rituals, the coffin is taken inside to the furnace area and finally delivered into the furnace.
If due to some reason the coffin is not brought home, and is delivered directly to the funeral house, then the rituals stated for home are performed there.
After a day or two, ashes are returned to the family. The shraddh including pind-dan and tarpan are performed at the home on the 11th or 12th day. It includes a feast for the family and friends. Some families organise a bhandara at a local temple and make donations to temples or charitable organisations. Usually, the deceased’s family makes the decisions regarding the format of the entire process.