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Shraaddh
The growth, over the years, of the greeting cards
industry clearly reveals man's increasing trend of remembering important
occasions.
Whether it is a birthday or wedding anniversary,
an exam success or an inauguration, or any other event worthy of recall, a card
is promptly sent. Failure to remember and send an appropriate message has
soured many relationships and friendships. Such failure is viewed negatively and
invites negative consequences.
Occasions worthy of recall are of varying
importance to different individuals, communities and nations. Events are
remembered and commemorated for personal, social, cultural and spiritual
reasons. And the very act of remembering reveals the love, reverence and values
one harbours for that occasion.
Every culture and religion has its unique and
special way of remembering the dead. Each November, the soldiers who died in
the World Wars are remembered on Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in America).
People the world over wear Flanders Poppies in honour of those who lost their
lives in the World Wars.
In Belgium, people visit the graves of their dead
relatives and friends on a specially designated day.
In France, the entire family gathers at church to
pray for the dead.
In Japan, people believe that the souls of their
dead return home once every year. Thus, they light their path with candles as a
welcome gesture.
Red Indians observe a special fast in February in
honour of the dead.
Thus, remembering the dead takes varied forms in
different parts of the world.
In India, Hindus offer shraaddh in honour of the
dead.
What is Shraaddh?
Food and prayers offered with faith in the name of
deceased forefathers for their benefit is shraaddh (Manu Smriti 3.284). In the
Satsangijivan it is said that food and gifts offered in the memory of ancestors
to earn their blessings is called shraaddh.
In fact, scriptures reveal that one who offers
shraaddh with full scriptural rites earns merits equivalent to having satisfied
all of creation.
Conversely, in the Vidurniti it is stated that one
who does not offer shraaddh in the name of his ancestors is foolish.
Stages of Shraaddh
After the death of a person and following the
completion of his cremation, three stages of shraaddh rites are described.
Purva Vidhi (Rites for the deceased upto 12
days.)These are the rites offered from the time of cremation upto the twelfth
day. They include dashgatra vidhi, nav shraaddh, pret shraaddh and others.These
rites provide the soul of the deceased with the body of a pret. The soul,
having been housed in a sthul (physical) body, finds itself with only its karan
(causal) and sukhshma (subtle) bodies. The loss of the physical body weakens
the subtle body, which becomes inactive. Thus the elements of the subtle body-
the five gnan indriyas, five karma indriyas, five prans and four antahkarans
(see footnote)- need to be revived. By offering pinds (balls) of flour and
grains, this is gradually achieved. The Pind Upanishad of the Atharva Veda
describes, figuratively, the 10 stages by which the subtle body is revived
through the offering of a daily ball. With the first, there is partial revival
of the subtle body; the second bestows blood, flesh and skin; the third creates
buddhi; the fourth, bones and fat; the fifth, hands, fingers and head; the
sixth, heart, throat and tongue; the seventh, designates lifespan; the eighth,
speech; the ninth, all indriyas; and the tenth, emotions.
Madhyam Vidhi (Monthly rites for the
deceased.)Offerings made every month to the deceased souls of ancestors
(pitrus) are called monthly shraaddh. Offerings made in the name of one's
father, grandfather and great-grandfather are called ekoddishta shraaddh.
Together, these two shraaddhs form the madhyam vidhi. With these rites, the
pret body of the deceased evolves into the pitru body.The pret body is the
developing subtle body of the deceased and has no fixed residence. Once the
pitru body is attained, the deceased enters pitru loka and attains powers
comparable to demi-gods. The offerings in shraaddh invoke the blessings of
these pitru.
Uttar Vidhi (Annual rites for the
deceased.)Offerings made annually during the month of Bhadrapad (Bhadarvo) are
called mahalay shraaddh. What is offered reaches the deceased soul through the
gods.Many local variations and traditions exist in the manner in which shraaddh
is offered. However, the underlying purpose is common - to ensure the happiness
of the deceased soul.
Shraaddh in the Swaminarayan Sampraday
The rites described above are a general outline of
how shraaddh is offered. However, for satsangis, they vary and are described as
follows:
In the Bhaktachintamani (68/9), Shriji Maharaj
says,
Mãrã janne antakãle jarur tedavã ãvavu;
Birud mãru na badale te sarve janne janãvavu.
i.e. At the time of death, I will come to redeem
my devotees. This promise of mine will never change.
Shriji Maharaj has promised that He will Himself
come to redeem the souls of His devotees and take them to His divine abode,
Akshardham. These devotees attain a divine body and stay eternally in the
service of Maharaj. In this way they forever experience the bliss of Supreme
God. (Vachanamruts Gadhada-I-1, 21, 71; Sarangpur-1; Gadhada II-1.)
Thus, devotees do not require the pret or pitru
bodies. Hence, the dashgatra vidhi is not necessary. Also, since devotees reach
Akshardham, the highest of all abodes, directly, there is no need to perform
the rites of the other stages of shraaddh either. In cases where a devotee may
have had true faith in and total surrender to Maharaj but may have harboured
worldly desires, the devotee would be given a birth in a virtuous family.
If, due to worldly attachments, the soul of a
deceased devotee roams as a spirit, consecrated water from the Akshar Deri in
Gondal or water consecrated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj in his morning puja (water
which has been used to bathe the murti of Harikrishna Maharaj), is sprinkled
around the home. Together with sincere prayers, this will release the deceased
from its bondage.
Therefore, for such a devotee, the various rites
of shraaddh described above are also not necessary.
A tru devotee redeems many generations
A question may arise as to what should be done if
only one person in the family is a Swaminarayan devotee and the others are not.
In the Shrimad Bhagvat, Prahlad asks Bhagwan
Nrusinh whether his slain father, the devil king Hiranyakashipu, will attain
heaven. In reply, Nrusinh Bhagwan says, "Along with your father, 21
generations have been redeemed, because through your virtues they have been
purified." (Shrimad Bhagvat 6/10/18.)
So, even the evil Hiranyakashipu, who was of a
wicked nature and totally opposed and obstructive to devotion of God, attained
heaven by his association with his virtuous son, Prahlad.
Through this example, we learn that 101
generations related to a true devotee of God attain redemption. Thus, it is not
necessary to perform the rites of the three stages of shraaddh to ensure their
happiness.
Shriji Maharaj has also said that if relatives
believe it is their good fortune that a true devotee of God has been born in
their family and understanding his glory, are attached to him, then they, too,
will be redeemed. Even those forefathers who are deceased, if they believe it
to be their good fortune that a devotee of God has been born in their family,
they too will be redeemed (Vachanamrut Gadhada I-77).
Thus, although for satsangis and their family, the
rites of the stages of shraaddh are not necessary, according to community
customs, the family should sponsor a meal in memory of the deceased on the
tenth or twelfth day after death.
Also, so that other relatives may benefit from the
contact of satsang and progress spiritually, the family of the deceased should
sponsor a parayan and meal on his behalf in the mandir.
In addition, following the scattering of the ashes
at holy places like Gadhada, Gondal and others, a meal to Thakorji should be
sponsored at the mandir. Thereafter, every year, in memory of the virtues of
the deceased, during the period of shraaddh in the second half of the month of
Bhadrapad (August or September), or on the anniversary date, a meal to Thakorji
should be sponsored. During this period of shraaddh, meals are served to
Brahmins and food is also laid out for crows (kaag-vaas). The living, through
this rite, believe that their ancestors are appeased.
Amongst the annual celebrations of the
Swaminarayan Sampraday, the shraaddh occasions of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the
gurus are celebrated. On these occasions their virtues are remembered and
prayers are offered to enable us to imbibe those virtues in our lives.
Shraaddh, therefore, is a time to recall and sing
the virtues of those who have passed away and make offerings to them to ensure
their future happiness and earn their blessings.
Footnote:
5 gnan indriyas: Cognitive sense organs, through
which one knows: shrotra (ears), tvak (skin), chakshu (eyes), rasna (tongue)
and ghran (nose).
5 karma indriyas: Conative sense organs, through
which one can perform actions: vak (voice), pani (hands), paad (feet), payu
(arms) and upastha (genitals).
4 antahkarans: inner faculty, the complete mind
comprising of four aspects, each characterised by its individual function: man
(generates thoughts and desires), buddhi (consolidates thoughts), chitta
(repeated contemplation) and ahamkar (sense of being).
5 prans: Vital energies which control crucial
bodily functions: pran (vocal and respiratory functions), apan (excretory
functions), saman (digestive functions), udan (automatic functions above the
larynx) and vyan (voluntary and involuntary muscular movements).
Guruji. A. Sivaguru Swamy
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