Hindu Funeral Rites: Antyeshti Sanskar (English)

Hindu Funeral Rites: Antyeshti Sanskar describes the last rites a Hindu performs of a loved one. The post- death and cremation rites are described along with their meaning and impact on the soul of the departed. The book is structured so that a Hindu of any denomination or community can read it and perform the necessary rituals upon the death of their loved one.

Alternatively, the book can be read at any time simply to understand pre- and post-death rituals according to Hindu scriptures and traditions. Written by Sadhu Shrutiprakashdas, one of India's foremost scholars of Sanskrit and Hindu scriptures, this book aims to lucidly convey the correct, scripturally-sanctioned rites for a loved one's final departure. It is aimed primarily for Hindus in the diaspora or other places where access to elders familiar with Hindu funeral rites is rare. The sixteen sanskars or Hindu sacraments are religious rites that mark important milestones in an individual's life -from conception and birth to death. The Hindu sanskars focus on the spiritual elevation of the soul through education, cultivation and refinement of life. Max Mueller said that the sixteen sanskars satisfied "the deep-rooted tendencies in the heart of man to bring the chief events of human life into contact with a higher power, and to give our joys and sufferings a deeper significance and a religious sanctification."