How to Prepare for AntimSanskar
In our culture, we have been taught from childhood about the greatness of dead bodies and respecting them as if they are gods because these bodies consist of soul i.e.aatma. So many people in India respect dead bodies as if it is god but this understanding is not perfectly correct that by touching or seeing a dead body one will achieve salvation or moksha after death! It would be pertinent to mention here how does a human body becomes a dead body! A human body is made up of five elements i.e.panchmahabhoot or paanch tattva namely pita, majja, shukra, vayu and kapaal.
Way for AntimSanskar
When
any of these five elements leave the human body then that body becomes lifeless
i.e. dead and the person gets liberated from this earth or materialistic world.
It is because of this reason that in Indian culture, we have been taught since
childhood to look at dead bodies with respect but not to worship them as
god/goddess! Now it would be clear why our saints like Guru Gorakhnath ji used
to refer dead bodies as kabja (meaning rotten) which means wherever this
material kabja is immersed or buried will, it turn into paanch tattva again and
the soul will get liberated.AntimSanskar
in Mumbai is always complex and people get confuse.
Since ages in India, people have been following customs to keep dead bodies clean but our Vedas clearly state that after death body becomes pure because all impurities are washed away! The fire vidhi is kept to burn the dead body so that the five elements do not leave any part of it behind. Our Hindu culture also promotes good health while living by giving due respect to bad elements by eating prithvi/earth early morning until sunrise i.e.taalajaap.
We
should always remember that all humans are equal in front of God because
everyone after leaving theirn any one of these five elements combinations in a
human body leaves his physical frame then he becomes just a piece of rotten
flesh! It is therefore important to realize this point that each of us has to
leave his physical frame one day. AntimSanskar
in Mumbai should be always done in proper way.
There
are two types of AntimSanskar
Birth
Antim Sanskar
This
is done before any auspicious occasion or function which involves the
participation of deities, God etc. After performing certain vedic mantras and
prayers, this is done by putting vibhooti on mother's forehead who is pregnant
with child followed by chanting mantra "OM" thrice in front of her.
Then the umbilical cord is cut with a gold or silver thread dipped in butter
ghee called as safasnan (thread bath), after which the baby touches the stone
along with his right-hand middle finger touching
his
mother's pussycat.
Death
Antim Sanskar
This
is done before the funeral pyre of a dead body by chanting Vedic mantras and
prayers, by putting vibhooti on the eyes of the dead body, followed by garlands
made up of tulsi leaves around its neck after which flower petals are showered
on it. This is followed by burning incense called agarbathi or an oblation to
fire known as "dhoop" in Hindi either jaggery or ghee along with dry
coconut prior to cremation. After this oblation is initiated, all the
participants chant the mantra "OM" twelve times collectively while
one nearest to the head chants once more mantra "OM". The ashes are
put in the river Ganga or any other clean water bodies.
Widows do not perform AntimSanskar because they are
considered as sati until they do AntimSanskar after their husband's death which
is known as Sati Vivah where she marries her deceased husband again for life
without remarrying someone else! The one who performs this custom of
AntimSanskar is called "purohit". It is very important to understand
the meaning of word "purush" i.e. human body, so whenever we take
part in any auspicious occasion like marriage, thread ceremony etc.; it is
mandatory to follow customs associated with purush and avoid misappropriating
its dignity by touching it without following appropriate.
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https://swamiantimsanskar.wordpress.com/2021/10/19/how-to-prepare-for-antimsanskar/
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