funeral verses help.

gitangili · June 27, 2008

For a multifaith funeral of a devotee what verses could be read. I know of one sanscrit verse used in cremation grounds in India.Are there others.We hope to organise a kirtan.

Bishadi · June 28, 2008

For a multifaith funeral of a devotee what verses could be read. I know of one sanscrit verse used in cremation grounds in India.Are there others.We hope to organise a kirtan

Often sharing kind words offers more than what can be read.

Maybe a unique approach may help.

Look into the eyes of them that feel ‘loss,’ and say:

Peace upon your heart knowing that their life enriched Love upon your soul. Leave your mourning for the self at home and share the beauty of his/her life in all your interactions. Plant a tree in his/her honor and each bird that sings the song of life, is upon that branch because of the Love and compassion known and remembered by ‘our friend.’ Know you continue his life by the contribution to life with the mind of Love. Peace be upon your mind with good memories of their life in which we continue; know his/her life continues in your soul and in what you now do with the ‘life of their Love.’

And if the person is blood related then another form can substantiate the life in 'continuance' that brings the lost person to life, physically.

To assist in clarifying.

Mourning of loss by a ‘self’ is a self missing what is not theirs. Or better still, if you feel you have something to say to your most cherished; call them right now and tell them. Otherwise to make the fool of loss for the body who is gone is rather selfish. Honor them by what Love is present, not by what loss is felt.

Food for thought.

bhaktajan · June 30, 2008

For a multifaith funeral of a devotee what verses could be read. I know of one sanscrit verse used in cremation grounds in India.Are there others.We hope to organise a kirtan.

Just a suggestion:

Sri Isopanisad Mantra 16

püñann ekarñe yama sürya präjäpatya

vyüha raçmén samüha

tejo yat te rüpaà kalyäëa-tamaà

tat te paçyämi yo ’säv asau puruñaù so ’ham asmi

O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I.

Sri Isopanisad Mantra 17

väyur anilam amåtam

athedaà bhasmäntaà çaréram

oà krato smara kåtaà smara

krato smara kåtaà smara

Let this temporary body be burnt to ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality of air. Now, O my Lord, please remember all my sacrifices, and because You are the ultimate beneficiary, please remember all that I have done for You.

PURPORT

The temporary material body is certainly a foreign dress. The Bhagavad-gétä (2.20) clearly says that after the destruction of the material body the living entity is not annihilated, nor does he lose his identity. The identity of the living entity is never impersonal or formless; on the contrary, it is the material dress that is formless and that takes a shape according to the form of the indestructible person. No living entity is originally formless, as is wrongly thought by those with a poor fund of knowledge. This mantra verifies the fact that the living entity exists after the annihilation of the material body.

. . . In this mantra the living entity prays to enter the spiritual kingdom of <ST1:PGod </ST1:Pafter relinquishing his material body and material air. The devotee prays to the Lord to remember his activities and the sacrifices he has performed before his material body is turned into ashes. He makes this prayer at the time of death, with full consciousness of his past deeds and of the ultimate goal. One who is completely under the rule of material nature remembers the heinous activities he performed during the existence of his material body, and consequently he gets another material body after death. The Bhagavad-gétä (8.6) confirms this truth:

yaà yaà väpi smaran bhävaà

tyajaty ante kalevaram

taà tam evaiti kaunteya

sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunté, that state he will attain without fail.” Thus the mind carries the living entity’s propensities into the next life.

Actually, the explanation of this mantra and of practically all the mantras of the Vedic hymns is summarized in the Vedänta-sütra and properly explained in Çrémad-Bhägavatam.

. . . In Çrémad-Bhägavatam this particular mantra is explained in the questions and answers between Mahäräja Parékñit and Çukadeva Gosvämé at the very beginning of their meeting. Hearing and chanting of the science of God is the basic principle of devotional life. The complete Bhägavatam was heard by Mahäräja Parékñit and chanted by Çukadeva Gosvämé. Mahäräja Parékñit inquired from Çukadeva because Çukadeva was a greater spiritual master than any great yogé or transcendentalist of his time.

Mahäräja Parékñit’s main question was: “What is the duty of every man, specifically at the time of death?” Çukadeva Gosvämé answered:

tasmäd bhärata sarvätmä

bhagavän éçvaro hariù

çrotavyaù kértitavyaç ca

smartavyaç cecchatäbhayam

“Everyone who desires to be free from all anxieties should always hear about, glorify and remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the supreme director of everything, the extinguisher of all difficulties, and the Supersoul of all living entities.” (Bhäg. 2.1.5)

. . . Çré Éçopaniñad directs us toward such godly activities.

Unless one is accustomed to devotional practice, what will he remember at the time of death, when the body is dislocated, and how can he pray to the almighty Lord to remember his sacrifices? Sacrifice means denying the interest of the senses. One has to learn this art by employing the senses in the service of the Lord during one’s lifetime. One can utilize the results of such practice at the time of death.

Sri Isopanisad Mantra 18

agne naya supathä räye asmän

viçväni deva vayunäni vidvän

yuyodhy asmaj juhuräëam eno

bhüyiñöhäà te nama-uktià vidhema

O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I have done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress.

Purport:

The Lord is addressed as fire because He can burn anything into ashes, including the sins of the surrendered soul. As described in the previous mantras, the real or ultimate aspect of the Absolute is His feature as the Personality of Godhead,

. . . After many, many lifetimes of cultivating transcendental knowledge, one becomes perfect when he surrenders unto the Lord. This is the general procedure. But one who surrenders at the very beginning, as recommended in this mantra, at once surpasses all preliminary stages simply by adopting the devotional attitude.

. . . Since the omnipotent Lord is situated within the heart of everyone, He can give directions to His sincere devotees by which they can attain the right path. Such directions are especially offered to the devotee, even if he desires something else.

. . . The Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.5.42) says:

sva-päda-mülaà bhajataù priyasya

tyaktänya-bhävasya hariù pareçaù

vikarma yac cotpatitaà kathaïcid

dhunoti sarvaà hådi sanniviñöaù

“The Lord is so kind to the devotee who is fully surrendered to His lotus feet that even though the devotee sometimes falls into the entanglement of vikarma—acts against the Vedic directions—the Lord at once rectifies such mistakes from within his heart. This is because the devotees are very dear to the Lord.”

In this mantra of Çré Éçopaniñad, the devotee prays to the Lord to rectify him from within his heart. To err is human. A conditioned soul is very often apt to commit mistakes, and the only remedial measure to take against such unintentional sins is to give oneself up to the lotus feet of the Lord so that He may guide one to avoid such pitfalls. The Lord takes charge of fully surrendered souls; thus all problems are solved simply by surrendering oneself unto the Lord and acting in terms of His directions. Such directions are given to the sincere devotee in two ways: one is by way of the saints, scriptures and spiritual master, and the other is by way of the Lord Himself, who resides within the heart of everyone. Thus the devotee, fully enlightened with Vedic knowledge, is protected in all respects.

. . . Thus the spiritual master, the Vedic injunctions and the Lord Himself from within—all guide the devotee in full strength. In this way there is no chance for a devotee to fall again into the mire of material illusion. The devotee, thus protected all around, is sure to reach the ultimate destination of perfection.

The entire process is hinted at in this mantra, and Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.2.17–20) explains it further:

Hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord is itself an act of piety. The Lord wants everyone to hear and chant His glories because He is the well-wisher of all living entities. By hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, one becomes cleansed of all undesirable things, and then one’s devotion becomes fixed upon the Lord.

At this stage the devotee acquires the brahminical qualifications, and the effects of the lower modes of nature (passion and ignorance) completely vanish. The devotee becomes fully enlightened by virtue of his devotional service, and thus he comes to know the path of the Lord and the way to attain Him. As all doubts diminish, he becomes a pure devotee.