REST IN PEACE

Have you ever wondered what does this phrase ‘Rest in Peace’ mean? Fools argue that if you do not say ‘Rest in Peace’, the departed will not be at peace! Or this is simply a phrase that is used whenever someone dies? Or does it mean the departed was not at peace before his departure? […]

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The Hindu belief in reincarnation accelerates the funeral ritual, and deceased Hindu are cremated as soon as possible.

UNIVERSAL FREE CREMATIONS – 6. Hindus Reject CNG and Electric Cremations?

Often, we discuss about the environment and how to safeguard it. There are many reproaches against Hindu open-air wood cremations. Scientific studies have pointed out that open-air wood cremations of Hindus are also contributing to the present environmental calamities. Many people ask the question ‘why Hindus only do open-air wood cremations?’ Why can they not […]

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4. Can Every Type of Wood Be Used for Cremations?

In the series of Hindu death, none told us,regarding the 16th samskara Anthyesti, what type of wood to be used for cremations. Anthyesti can roughly be translated as Last Rites in English. We read in the newspapers, watched on television, come across incidents in social media – where the dead are cremated using old, discarded […]

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3. What is Arthi / Bier?

Hindus, to carry the dead to the Samshan Ghat, use Arthi / Bier. Any Hindu living in any part of the world understands the importance of Arthi. The use of Arthi is centuries old tradition. Any reader who is a non-Hindu and who doesn’t understand Hindu culture might wonder what bier is and why much […]

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2. Are We Cremating the Dead or Living?

If a minimum of 450 kg wood is required per cremation i.e., 4 trees of at least 10-year age then what happens?I said in my last article that “number of trees cut per year for cremations and the consequent CO2 emissions are phenomenal resulting in environmental catastrophe”. Allow me kindly to demonstrate the same with […]

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1. Why Hindus Cremate?

Hindus prefer cremation, as it is enjoined through the Garuda MahaPurana, the sacred text of Hindus that describes in detail the procedure to be followed in respect of the dead. The injunction given through this sacred text is to cremate the dead with wood. The type of wood used for open air cremation is also […]

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