a summary of the steps in this Samskaaram

[S.Chandrasekaran]

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Dear beloved fellow-Iyers and fellow-BrahmanasMost of us live largely pious and conforming lives as taught by our elders, our family priests, our gurus and revered preceptors. We follow the precedents set by our grandfathers, our fathers, our elder brothers, our uncles, our elder community members. Those of us who are Dvijas -- Brahmanas, Kshathriyas and Vaishyas -- have additional burdens of religious duties to carry, such as nithya karmas consisting of snaanam with sankalpam, yagnopaveetha-dhaaranam, thri-kaala sandhya, oupaasanam, Brahma yagnam, Vaishva-deva yagnam, shakthi-panchaakshari manthra-Japam, panchaayathana pooja, and bhojana vidhi.We attend the annual Upakarmam of our Veda Shaakha, together with our fellow-Vedins. Some of us in addition perform the pournamaasya sthaaleepaakam, darsha sthaaleepaakam, and other additional fire-sacrifices as convenient. We also observe the samskaarams from Garbha-daanam, Pumsavanam, Seemanthonayanam, Jaatha Karmam, Naama-karanam, Anna-praashanam, Chuda-karmam, to Upanayanam and Vivaaham. All these promote the effulgence of our Brahma-tejas, as we pray for when putting on our fresh upaveetham. May we now take a quick look at the final Samskaaram in our lives, and probably the most significant of all -- the Pithrumedha Samskaaram, when our earthly body itself, duly purified after death, is the ultimate homa-dravyam offered on the lighted sacred pyre to the waiting devathas?The following is a summary of the steps in this Samskaaram:-1. Praayaschittham (atonement rites):-The householder on the verge of death bathes in the sacred river, spring, lake, sea or other clean-water source, wears distinctive forehead marks, dresses appropriately, performs punyaaha-vaachanam (which infuses Varuna devatha, the sacred rivers and other deities into the clean cold water held in a decorated sacred vessel), sprinkles on himself the sanctified water such as Ganga-theertham, sips the same reverently, thereby attaining a state of purity. He then obtains the requisite blessing/permission/authority from assembled Brahmanas to perform expiatory rites.If too ill or otherwise unable to bathe in the river, he might chant the "aapohishtaa" manthram and sprinkle clean water on his own head. If the person approaching death is totally disabled, then his own son or others, can perform the same, and proceed with the expiatory rite on his behalf.2. Karna-manthra-japam (sacred formula whispered into ear of dying person):-Officiating son, grandson, or other representative, places the dying person's head on his own right knee, and whispers into his right ear the sacred secret formula, together with manthrams such as the panchaakshara and ashtaakshara mahaa-manthrams. After life has ceased, the deceased's head is placed on a bed of dharbha grass spread lon the floor, head pointing south.The deceased's sons and gnaathis (male relatives within a certain degree) remove their upper vasthram and upaveetham, and wear the same over their right shoulder. Women untie their hair and let it loose. All do their prostrations, facing south.3. Karthru-kramam (Order of precedence to perform last rites):-1. Son of the deceased's loins (in order of birth)2. Grandson (in order of birth)3. Great-grandson (in or order of birth)4. Properly adopted son (according to religious rites)5. Adopted son's son6. Son given away for adoption (acc. to religious rites)7. Son born to own daughter who is sole heir to deceased's estate8. Son born to any other daughter9. Son of wife residing in deceased's undivided joint family house10. Husband11. Younger brother (husband's younger brother, in woman's case).4. Prethaagni santhaanam (reviving neglected/dead Oupaassaagni):-When through neglect the requisite twice-daily oupaasana fire-rite has not been performed for six months or more, and the sacred fire first generated at vivaaham has gone out, special rites are prescribed for its revival before it can be converted into a sacred fire appropriate for honour as prethaagni, i.e. the sanctified cremation fire in which the homa-dravyam consisting of the body of the deceased is offered to the devathaas as the last samskaaram on earth.During this solemn rite, any dosham due to tithi, day of the week, ruling star at time of death, lagnam, yogam, karanam, and other inauspicious influences is assuaged and nullified by giving appropriate Prajaaspathya, Kruschchara, Prathnaamniya hiranya-daanam. The agni is thereafter re-kindled in the homa-kundam by reciting prescribed manthrams and performing prescribed acts, in the proper manner.5. Pithrumedha samskaaram (a yagnam similar in importance to asvamedha and other great yagnams):-The deceased's body is placed on a bed of dharbha grass spread on the ground west of the revived oupaassaagni with the head pointing south. Then the kartha (principal performer of the last rites) bathes, and performs the long-neglected oupaasana homam on behalf of the deceased.The deceased's body is bathed; habitual forehead marks are put on the forehead, he is dressed, his thumbs and big toes are tied together with white (or unbleached) cotton string, a coronet of fragrant roots is placed on his head, and a new (unbleached and unwetted, if possible) long cotton cloth is stretched, covering the body from foot to neck and tucked well in. The old clothing worn earlier is removed (if this has not already been done before, i.e. after bathing).Appropriate manthrams are always chanted at the requisite times and actions.A handful of husked rice is semi-cooked over the oupaassaagni fire in the agni-kundam, and placed to the south.(Important note: If noon or sunset intervene, all males including the kartha interrupt the rituals, and perform the maadhyaahnikam or sandhya first. Then they continue with the last rites.) 6. Sambhaara-krama (conveying body to cremation place):-At the head of the funeral procession, normally, the grandsons walk in silence, two by two, holding up lighted ghee-fed torches of wood with pieces of cloth wrapped around one end (which is lighted).Behind the torch-bearers, the kartha, e.g. son, walks, carrying the prethaagni, which has been carefully gathered in its entirety from the agni-kundam into an earthenware pot, leaving no ember or residue behind.He is followed by the gnaathis, carrying in procession the wrapped body (strapped into a makeshift ladder-like wooden structure -- or in an open wooden coffin, nowadays) . Special manthrams would have been chanted by fhe kartha when the body is first lifted from its resting-place on the dharbha-mat on the ground. Before lifting the body, the gnaathis would have re-arranged their upaveetham so that it hangs around their neck, and is not worn over either shoulder. After lifting the body, they jointly chant "Govinda, Govinda!" at intervals all the way to the cremation place, as is the custom in South India.When the procession has travelled one-quarter, and three-quarters respectively of the distance to the cremation place, all stop, the body is lowered, and special rites are performed, including "bhootha-bali" to appease the spirits along the way. On reaching the cremation ground, the body is placed to the westof the agni, hed pointing south. The kartha and gnaathis together perform certain rites, after which the kartha takes over the conduct of the rest of the last rites. This includes ceremonially sweeping the ground with certain sacred leaves, cleaning the intended place of cremation, placing coins on it, spreading dharbha grass there, arranging firewood to create a pyre, re-fanning the flames in the agni brought over from home to revive them. The body is removed from the ladder or whatever it was strapped to previously, and placed it face up on the level stack of wood forming the pyre. The white cotton threads, by which the thumbs and toes of the deceased were tied, are un-knotted or cut off; the body and certain other objects previously used in the preceding rituals, are purified. The kartha then places coins on the seven principal life-force centres, i.e. mouth, right and left eyes, right and left ears, right and left nostrils in that order. (If coins are not available, drops of ghee are substituted.) With upaveetham placed over their right shoulders, the kartha and the gnaathis then dribble small amounts of black sesame and semi-cooked rice on to the mouth of the deceased, using a special mudra. 7. Dhanam and Upasthaanam (cremation and sending Agni Bhagavaan home):-The kartha stands to the east of the body on the unlit pyre, facing west and, to the accompaniment of crucial manthrams which he chants solemnly as usual, carefully pours on to the chest of the body the entirety of the prethaagni which he has brought over.He then stands to the north of the burning body, facing south, and pronounces the "upasthaana manthram", thereby offering the final sacrifice of the deceased's body to the waiting devathaas. Following this, he performs the requisite seven aahuthis, and recites the requisite nine manthrams beginning "drakethanaa".Post-cremation ritesThe kartha next cuts three shallow canals on the ground to the west of the agni -- east, middle, west -- places small stones and sand in them, and pours three or five kalashams of water into the canals. Led by the youngest present, the gnaathis and kartha symbolically pretend to bathe in the three canals, by at least sprinkling on themselves the water from them.A short distance to the west of the canals are planted on the ground two live branches of sacred trees, their tops decorated with garlands made of dharbha grass. Led by the youngest, the gnaathis and kartha pass between the branches, after which the kartha uproots them and destroys them by breaking them into small pieces, and throws them away.Gnaathis and kartha wear upaveetham over their left shoulders, touch water to complete their purification, and recite a sthrothram in praise of Aadithyan, the Sun God.Led by the youngest, all leave, without glancing at the burning pyre, go to the nearby stream, spring, well, or other source of fresh water, bathe there, immersing the whole body including head and hair, reciting manthrams.Elders then lie down and pretend to sleep for a few moments.Kartha, hair untied, upaveetham over right shoulder, faces south and prostrates, reciting manthrams. Then he rewards officiating priests suitably with sambhaavanai, according to his ability, and takes a bath thereafter.On reaching homeOn reaching home, all returning participants stand at the entrance, and follow handed-down family practice such as consuming a little ghee, stepping on a stone, and so on.Finally, the kartha shaves himself, takes a bath, and performs the nagna-prachchaadana shraaddham, takes another bath, and enters the house, carrying a lighted oil-lamp, accompanied by all his relatives.Courtesy :Sri. S Narayanaswamy Iyer