Antyesti

Antyesti (IAST: Antyeṣṭi, sa, अन्त्येष्टि) literally means "last sacrifice", and refers to the funeral rites for the dead in Hinduism, which usually involves cremation of the body. This rite of passage is the last samskara in a series of traditional life cycle samskaras that start from conception in Hindu tradition. It is also referred to as Antima Sanskar, ''Antya-kriya'', ''Anvarohanyya'', or as ''Vahni Sanskara''.Antayesti
Cologne Sanskrit Digital Lexicon, Germany

The details of the Antyesti ceremony depend on the region, caste, gender and age of the dead.J Fowler (1996), Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices, Sussex Academic Press, , pp. 59-60

Etymology

''Antyeṣṭi'' (अन्त्येष्टि) is a composite Sanskrit word of ''antya'' and ''iṣṭi'', which respectively mean "last" and "sacrifice". Together, the word means the "last sacrifice". Similarly, the phrase ''Antima Sanskara'' literally means "last sacred ceremony, or last rite of passage".

Scriptures

The ''Antyesti '' rite of passage is structured around the premise in ancient literature of Hinduism that the microcosm of all living beings is a reflection of a macrocosm of the universe.Terje Oestigaard, in The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Death and Burial (Editors: Sarah Tarlow, Liv Nilsson Stut), Oxford University Press, ISBN , pp. 497-501 The soul (Atman, Brahman) is the essence and immortal that is released at the ''Antyeshti'' ritual, but both the body and the universe are vehicles and transitory in various schools of Hinduism. The human body and the universe consist of five elements in Hindu texts – air, water, fire, earth and space. The last rite of passage returns the body to the five elements and its origins.Carl Olson (2007), The Many Colors of Hinduism: A Thematic-historical Introduction, Rutgers University Press, , pp. 99-100 The roots of this belief are found in the Vedas, for example in the hymns of Rigveda in section 10.16, as follows,

The final rites of a burial, in case of untimely death of a child, is rooted in Rig Veda's section 10.18, where the hymns mourn the death of the child, praying to deity Mrityu to "neither harm our girls nor our boys", and pleads the earth to cover, protect the deceased child as a soft wool.

Antyesti practices

The ceremonial offerings varies across the spectrum of Hindu society. Some of the popular rituals followed in Vedic religions after the death of a human being, for his or her peace and ascent to heaven are as follows.

Shmashana - the cremation ground

The cremation ground is called ''Shmashana'' (in Sanskrit), and it is located near a river, if not on the river bank itself. Those who can afford it may go to special sacred places like Kashi (Varanasi), Haridwar, Prayagraj (also known as Allahabad), Sri Rangam, Brahmaputra on the occasion of Ashokastami and Rameswaram to complete this rite of immersion of ashes into water.

Cremation rituals

The last rites are usually completed within a day of death. While practices vary among sects, generally, his or her body is washed, wrapped in white cloth, if the dead is a man or a widow, or red cloth, if it is a woman whose husband is still alive, the big toes are tied together with a string and a ''Tilak'' (red, yellow or white mark) is placed on the forehead. The dead adult's body is carried to the cremation ground near a river or water, by family and friends, and placed on a pyre with feet facing south.

The eldest son, or a male mourner, or a priest – called the lead cremator or lead mourner – then bathes himself before leading the cremation ceremony.Carrie Mercier (1998), Hinduism for Today, Oxford University Press, , p. 58. He circumambulates the dry wood pyre with the body, says a eulogy or recites a hymn, places sesame seeds or rice in the dead person's mouth, sprinkles the body and the pyre with ghee (clarified butter), then draws three lines signifying ''Yama'' (deity of the dead), ''Kala'' (time, deity of cremation) and the dead. Prior to lighting the pyre, an earthen pot is filled with water, and the lead mourner circles the body with it, before lobbing the pot over his shoulder so it breaks near the head. Once the pyre is ablaze, the lead mourner and the closest relatives may circumambulate the burning pyre one or more times. The ceremony is concluded by the lead cremator, during the ritual, is ''kapala kriya'', or the ritual of piercing the burning skull with a stave (bamboo fire poker) to make a hole or break it, in order to release the spirit.

All those who attend the cremation, and are exposed to the dead body or cremation smoke take a shower as soon as possible after the cremation, as the cremation ritual is considered unclean and polluting. The cold collected ash from the cremation is later consecrated to the nearest river or sea.

In some regions, the male relatives of the deceased shave their head and invite all friends and relatives, on the tenth or twelfth day, to eat a simple meal together in remembrance of the deceased. This day, in some communities, also marks a day when the poor and needy are offered food in memory of the dead.

Modern cremation methods

Both manual bamboo wood pyres and electric cremation are used for Hindu cremations. For the latter, the body is kept on a bamboo frame on rails near the door of the electric chamber. After cremation, the mourner will collect the ashes and consecrate it to a water body, such as a river or sea.

Burial in Hinduism

Apart from the cremation method. several sects in Hinduism follow the practice of burial of the dead. In some sects, the important sadhus are buried. The preparatory rituals are more or less similar to cremation viz, washing the body, applying vibuthi or chandam on the forehead of the deceased etc., but instead of cremating, the deceased is buried. The body is either placed in sleeping position or in some Shaivite and tribal traditions is in Padmasana sitting position with legs folded and arms resting on the thigh simulating meditative position. The burial pit is prepared in the community burial ground called Shamshana, usually situated outside the city or village. Some affluent will bury their dead in their own field. The burial pit for sleeping position is generally three feet width and six feet in length and for sitting position it is three feet by three feet. As a thumb rule in all the sects invariable the saints are buried in sitting position in a separate place where later on a Samadhi is built which becomes a place of worship. For example, followers of Ayyavazhi sect bury the body, facing the geographic north in a padmasana position, without coffins and it is covered by sand or Namam (sacred soil) as an act austerity for the unfolding of Dharma Yukam.

Post Antyesti rituals

Other Indian rituals after death include Niravapanjali, Tarpana, Śrāddha, Rasam Pagri, Pitru Paksha.

Genealogy registers

Many people visit Hindu pilgrimage sites to perform, ''Śrāddha'' ceremonies, like Gaya, Pehowa,Tracing your Asian roots
www.overseasindian.in.
''www.movinghere.org.uk''.
India Times, 29 Jan 2016. Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Gokarneshwar, Nashik etc. where they also update their genealogy registers maintained by pandas.

* Hindu genealogy registers at Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh
* Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar