In Vedic tradition, important life events are marked by religious ceremonies called samskaras [1]. The final samskara after death is antyeshTi – final yajna (sacrifice), when the body itself is offered to the Agni (fire). This is the final purificatory rite for the gross body that reduces it to the five basic elements from which it was formed. It reduces the bonds between the subtle body and the gross body.

The antyeshti ceremonies address both the deceased and the bereaved family. The ceremonies are based on the Vedic vision of the individual and his relationship with Ishwara. The life of a Hindu is a spiritual one and his culture religious. For a person who lived a spiritual life, dealing with death becomes an uplifting one. It makes it possible for one to cope with the difficult experience and come out of it as a more sensitive and mature individual.

From birth to death, his life is lived with appreciation of oneness with Ishvara. Moreover, the entire universe is seen as a manifestation of Ishvara and thus nonseparate from him. A Hindu’s life is guided by an understanding of the universal order of Dharma and Adharma and the laws of Karma. For a Hindu, a person’s existence does not begin with birth and terminate with death of the physical body. There is an indweller called prani or jiva who manifests in a given body in order to experience the results of its previous karmas. When a given physical body has served its purpose, it deteriorates and is unable to sustain life; the jiva gives up its current form to assume another more suitable one to continue its experiences based on the results of prior karmas.

Reference: Hindu Antyeshti Samskar Book.

[1] Samskara is defined in Sanskrit as: Samyak kriyate yena karmana iti samskarah. It is an action by which one is refined and made a qualified recipient for performing a particular activity or for obtaining a specific result. The word antya means final and ishti means ritual. Thus antyeshti is the final ritual in the lifetime of a Hindu.