Hinduism: death, mourning and renewal

            Hindus believe that each and every thinking creature has a soul (atman) that accumulates karma (good and bad) and is born again and again in the cycle of birth and rebirth. The status and location of one’s future births is believed to be directly linked to the karma that every living being has accumulated over the current, and even during past lifetimes. Birth as a human is regarded as especially auspicious, both for the person, and of course, for the parents and family of that person. We are brought together as families and friends because of our good karma, because of the good deeds that we did in the past. 

            In light of this important belief and understanding about the very nature of the universe, a person’s passing away has very different meanings and connotations for Hindus: the body may have ceased in some ways, but the soul (atman) persists and in fact, has always been independent of the body it temporarily inhabited. Krishna instructs Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, perhaps the most well-known text sacred to many Hindus, that “It (the atman) is not born, it does not die; Having been, it will never not be.” (BG 2.20) After a person has breathed one last time, when their prana (life force) has departed, Hindus believe that the atman also rises out of the body and, after a brief transitional phase, and is eventually born into a new family, depending on the karma accrued. Krishna explains “Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding the old ones, similarly, the living entity or the individual soul acquires new bodies after casting away the old bodies.” (BG 2.22) When a loved one passes away family and friends symbolically thus bear witness to this journey into a new body, a new life, and as a new human infant. 

            While it is indeed sad to be reminded of the transience of life, there is an underlying optimism and gratitude for the time spent together, thanks for the mutually shared and good karma. There is gratitude for having the karma to have been able to know and love the deceased. There is optimism that the loved one will have a pleasant journey towards their next life. Death is not really death. Rather it is the continuation of the passage of the atman, a regeneration for the atman(soul) as it moves towards its next life. 

            It is also believed by Hindus that this voyage, this cycle of birth and rebirth, will eventually come to an end and the atman (soul) will no longer be reborn but will obtain, earn, or be graced with moksha (liberation) from the cycle itself. This is believed to take thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives and rebirths to achieve, It may be that it was this particular life gave the loved one the chance to transcend rebirth and to not inhabit, if only metaphorically, a better place, a place no longer bound by the bonds of karma. This is the ultimate aim and desire for Hindus.

            When they grieve, Hindus encourage one another to remember that their loved one is on the way to another birth, or perhaps, has already risen above and beyond time and space, good and bad karma, birth and rebirth and has achieved moksha. Krishna tells Arjuna in the Gita that “Death is certain for one who has been born, and rebirth is inevitable for one who has died. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable.” (BG 2.27) Hindus mourn for select time periods (between 10 and 13 days) and this mourning involves rituals, found in the Garuda Purana, a Hindu funerary text, to help and assist in rebirth, to regenerate, and that serve to remind friend and families of their karma, to have shared a world and a life with the deceased. Families might perform pujas (worship rituals), chant mantras (sacred prayers), sing bhajans (devotional music), or just gather to share caring memories of their loved one. Families also remember their departed loved ones every year and have memorials to reminisce, to commemorate, and even celebrate their lives and memories. The support and love of friends and families is welcomed and cherished. 

            For Hindus, then, the atman temporarily resides in a body as it is born again and again into new bodies, eventually to be liberated from the cycle and enter moksha. Hindus mourn for the loss of their loved one, knowing that prayers and good wishes will help them in their travels and welcome their relative, friends and communities to join them in this way. The memorials and remembrances are thus sources for renewal and regeneration for the grieving family and for the community of relatives and friends as a whole. Death may be inescapable for Hindus, but so is rebirth and the inevitability of moksha.