How Hinduism Explains Death Beautifully
By: Radha Kapadia
Tags: Death, Hinduism, Spirituality, India, Religion

How Hinduism Explains Death Beautifully

And all that happens after

(Photo by Charu Chaturvedi on Unsplash)

“Nothing can happen more beautiful than death.”

— Walt Whitman

During my freshman year of college, we were asked to pick a topic for a communication project. I chose mine as “Death Is Beautiful.” I remember being laughed at for coming up with something that sounded so unusual. I tried hard to justify the beauty of my title but nobody would understand. Hence, I settled with the conclusion that maybe I didn’t explain well enough.

I still believe that death is beautiful but I’ve made my peace with the fact that not everybody can understand it.

I’ve read quite a few theories about death from both religious and scientific sources. With each being as fascinating as it can get, the classical Hindu metaphysics’ explanations about death stood out to me.

In Hinduism, death is referred to as Mahaprasthana (great journey). When the soul has learned his lessons and completed his Karma from one life, it leaves the physical body. A soul is an immortal body of light that continues to reincarnate until his Karmas are settled. It does not die and is indestructible.

All that a person gains in the form of intelligence, awareness, and memories persist with the soul. It lives in superconsciousness, continually expanding its awareness.

(Image by Oshonews)

Around 5 hours before death, the Chakra (a Nerve Ganglia of Consciousness) situated below the foot soles disconnect from the earth plane. This is why a person’s feet turn cold a few hours before dying. At the time of death, the soul leaves through this Chakra which acts as a portal to enter from one Loka (world) to another.

Upon death, the soul becomes aware of its astral body. The astral-pranic thread which connects the astral body to the physical body through a navel gets disconnected. After this, the process of rebirth begins. Upon leaving the physical body, the soul then takes the form of a thumb-sized structure known as linga ṡarīra. It is believed that the god of death; Yama, comes to receive the soul.

It is painful for the astral body to witness his physical body being cut or hampered for 72 hours after death. When this happens, the soul becomes aware that he has two bodies and refuses to go. To avoid causing any hurt to the deceased, Hindus prefer to cremate the bodies quickly after death. This devoids the soul of any attachments. Hinduism says:

A body is made up of the five elements of nature thus, it should dissolve back into the same place.

These five elements are earth, fire, water, air, and sky, and the process of cremation helps in quickly dissolving the body into its origin. The longer the physical body is kept around, the more difficult it becomes for the soul to depart. He becomes earthbound and faces a state of confusion.

Oftentimes when the astral cord has been cut, the soul tries to re-enter the body. The slight movement in dead bodies’ faces or hands is the soul trying to get back in.

It is as difficult for the soul to accept his death as it is for his close ones.

According to Hinduism, death must come naturally. Committing suicide would only expand one’s Karma putting him in a prolonged cycle of birth and death (read more). This is a way to compensate for the deeds done and reach the Karmic point that existed before suicide.

The soul lingers around the physical body until it’s cremated. He can see his loved ones and even listen to them. He tries to convey that he’s not dead but he cannot be heard. A soul will witness his cremation observing everything that is happening around him before he leaves.

(Image by thespiritconsciousness

After cremation, he finally experiences freedom and freely moves around in his places of interest for the next seven days. These places could be gardens, offices, or beside a loved one. If possessive about his money, he stays by his cupboard.

By the end of the seventh day, the soul bids goodbye to his family as he starts his journey into a different Loka. The destination of the soul depends on his earthly pursuits. An evolved soul goes to the Devaloka (land of gods). The one who dies in a state of negative emotions like anger and fear has to go to the lower worlds. Here, they’re accompanied by hundreds of thousands of such souls.

The 12 days post-death is considered extremely crucial. The close ones perform rituals, pray, and ask for forgiveness to the soul. This is done so that the soul does not carry, along with him, any negative emotions.

On the 10th day, the family is almost free of mṛitaka sutaka (Impurities of the deceased) thus the final Sraddhas (rituals) are carried out by the priest. A hole is dug on a piece of land by the river to invoke the presence of Lord Vishnu. Here, 10 balls of barley mixed with various ingredients are placed. Each ball stands for a part of the body of the deceased starting from head followed by the neck, shoulders, chest, and so on. After reciting the purpose of each ball, they are thrown into the river.

Having performed these rituals, the soul is now considered to be a Priti (ancestral spirit). After the 12th day, it reunites with its deceased ancestors, friends, relatives, and guides. The guides take him through his life review in the presence of a Karmic Board. Under this light, the soul sees his whole past life.

The family becomes entirely free of the mṛitaka sutaka. For final cleaning, the men shave their heads, and women are supposed to thoroughly wash their hair. Brahmins, neighbors, and beggars are offered a feast. Even animals are fed abundantly.

According to Hinduism, if these rituals aren’t performed, the Preta (soul) can become a Bhuta (malignant spirit) and frighten the living.

After a year, the soul reaches Yama’s kingdom where the final judgment has to be made regarding his destination. As per his earthly deeds both good and bad, he’s sent to Swarga (heaven) or Naraka (hell) for a limited term.

After completion of the assigned term the soul has to move to a new body. The form of the new body depends on the soul’s Karma. He could be a plant, rodent, insect, or even a human being.

Being born in the form of a human is considered to be the most privileged as they are ranked the highest in the hierarchy. That is why humans are expected to act wisely regarding their earthly pursuits.

The whole journey from birth to death truly goes beyond what we can imagine. Or like Mitch Albom says —