on aparakriyas...

Some thoughts on the death rites performed in the Hindu Vedic way..

The cremation is expected to be performed within one or two hours of death, if death occurs
during daytime.. But the cremation is done best before sunset.. Of course there are instances
where cremation is conducted during night too after prayaschittam..
If the death occurs during night, the cremation is to be conducted within two hours ideally after
sunrise..

When the pyre burns down

Preferably next day of cremation, Sanchayanam or collection of bones of the deceased is
conducted.. The pyre is doused with milk, the ashes and bones are arranged to form the shape of a
body.. The bones are picked up by the son with a violet brinjal and a rope used for tying cattle,
tied to his hand.. The collected borns are kept in a earthen pot.. The bones can be left in a flowing
river immediately.. If it is desired that the bones should be left in holy rivers like Bharatapuzha,
Ganga etc,, the pot with bones can be kept safe somewhere in the funeral ground itself..

The ashes should not be taken home.

During cremation rites, a piece of cloth covering the dead body would be torn from it and
retained.. This piece of cloth is to be kept with the son for giving Vasodakam for the ten days
following..

Once the Sanchayanam is over, the rites for the pretam.. pretam is the status gained by the dead
person immediately on its death.. The pretam would be blind and bodyless on the first day.. It
would be very desperate and would be feeling very hot and thirsty because its body is burnt..
In the ten ensuing days, the pretam assumes an astral body growing limbs one by one and the
astral body is in full shape on the tenth day of death..

When the rites start.. and it can be started on the second day of death.. or if it is not plausible, at
least on the ninth day.. The start of the rites is by invoking the pretam in two pieces of granite..
and placing them in two pits.. one pit at home and one pit at the banks of a nearby pond or river

Every day, the son is expected to offer balls of rice called pindam, and water through the part of
the cloth which covered the dead body and kept apart and also water and tilam (ellu).. This rice
and water are offered on the two pits at home and the riverside.. the water so offered is called
Vasodakam. The water mixed with ellu is called tilodakam

On the tenth day, the pretam is assuming its full body, and senses.. It will have great hunger and
thirst. And it would be yearning for food and other materials it enjoyed during its lifetime.. So a
sumptuous or Prabhoota Bali is offered to the pretam on that day.. During the period prior to
midday.. All food materials can be offered on a piece of cloth laid before the pit at home.. and the
son and all other relatives offer such food and offer pranams..
On the tenth day all Sapindas, Dayathis etc too offer Vasodhakam.. or water from the cloth to the
dead person

on the eleventh day the preta is sent to the house of Yama and joined with him. To enable its safe
journey, a calf bull is also supposed to keep company with the pretam.. For this purpose, a calf is
hired, offered respects and freed.. This is called Vrishotsarjanam.. There is a sacred homam too
offered to Lord Rudra chanting Srirudram
Then one Brahmin, on whom the pretam and Yama are invoked is fed, given clothes, and given
Dakshina.. A lot of pindams are to be offered to the Brahmins.. Since the Brahmin is not capable of
receiving such a heavy offer, the pretam invoked on the Brahmin is transferred to fire.. Agnau
Karyam.. and then the pindams are offered to the fire..
That single Brahmin, on whom preta and yama are invoked, is asked to leave.. when he leaves, the
persons who do the Karma and all others persons close their eyes and that pretam is not to be
seen by anyone when he is going out… ( Usually Savandi Kottans are employed for this.. And this is
the reason or one of the reasons why there is a belief that a single Brahmins should not be met..
while starting on a good missions)
The eleventh day Sraddham and rites to fire is called Ekoddhishtam

On the twelth day the son is expected to do the Sapindeekaranam.. In fact, as per shastras of old,
the preta has to be offered Sixteen Shraddhams including the monthly shraddam Six month
Sradham before sapindeekaranam.. If that procedure is followed it would be possible to do
sapindeekaranam only during the first annual ceremony..
But then if the son or the person who did the last rite did not survive, there could be no
sapindeekaranam.. and hence it has been decided that all the sixteen Sraddhams would be offered
on the twelth day itself and then Sapindeekarana Kriya also would be done on that day.

As I mentioned above, from the day of death the dead persons has only the status of Pretam… and
pretam has a lot of limitations and is all alone and helpless.. To join the ancestors as a group of
pitrus, the pretam should be released from that status and should be joined with the ancestors as
pitrus..

In fact till the death of the person, his father, grandfather and great grandfather, his mother,
paternal grandmother and paternal great grandmother were being worship. But the death has
caused one void… If the dead person is a male, then he joins his father and grandfather and his
great grandfather.. or Vriddha pitamaha.. is released.. If the dead person is a female, she joins her
mother in law, her mother in law.. and the senior mother in law of the great mother in law is
released..
On the sapindeekaranam day, three Brahmins are fed.. Rice balls representing the dead pretam
and its earlier three ancestors are prepared, and the son closing his eyes just mixes up the rice and
joins the pindams, and prepares three pindams of his father/mother as the case may, his paternal
grandfather/ grandmother and his paternal great grandfather/great grandmother… releasing the
seniormost pitru in the line..

During Sapindeekaranam, a lot of Dhaanams are given.. for the happiness of the departed parent.

And on the thirteenth day, just to have a temporary reprieve from the trauma, and with a view to
get released from pollution and to join the mainstream, some shubha karyam.. Navagraha Homam
is done at home.. The relatives all visit temples.. Asheervathams are sought and given..
This is simply an outline.. There are many intricate rites.. which only a priest or group of priests
can conduct..