Hindu Tradition
Lance Nelson, Ph.D.
University of San Diego
Gandhi and Ram-nam
Remembering God’s Name at Death
If somebody shot at me and I received his bullet on my
bare chest without a groan and with Rama's name on
my lips, only then should you say I was a true Mahatma.
M. K. Gandhi, 1947
At the hour of death,
whoever leaves the body
remembering Me attains My
abode. There is no doubt
about this.
Bhagavad Gita
The Song of God, chap. 8.5
Bhagavad Gita
The Song of God, chap. 6.10-11, 15
Let the yogi, seated in solitude, having
mind and senses under control, free
from desires and attachments,
constantly meditate upon the Supreme
Self.
The yogi should sit on a firm seat that is neither too high nor too low,
covered with sacred grass, a deerskin, and a cloth, one over the other, in
a clean spot.
Thus, by always keeping the mind fixed on the Self, the yogi whose mind
is subdued attains supreme liberation, the peace that is union with Me.
Creating Holy Space
Altars, Images, Icons, Incense, Flowers
Kirtan and Japa
“Singing” and “Chanting” the Divine Name
Mantra
Sacred Words, Sacramental Sound
Om Shri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram
Om Namah Shivaya
Om Namo Narayanaya
Hari Om
Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
The Great Mantra in Praise of the Conqueror of Death
Om! We worship the Three-eyed Lord Siva,
The fragrant one, who nourishes all beings.
Just as the cucumber is severed
from its connection to the vine,
So may He liberate us from death
for the sake of Immortality.
Antyeshti
Last Rites & Cremation
Shraddha
Remembrance, Release, Purification on Eleventh Day
Bhagavad Gita
The Song of God, chap. 2.12-13, 20, 22
There was never a time when we did not exist;
nor shall we ever cease to exist in the future.
Just as the Self (atman) acquires the bodies of
childhood, youth, and old age, similarly the Self
acquires another body after death. The wise
are not deluded by this.
The Self is never born nor does it ever die . . . It is unborn, eternal,
permanent, and primeval. The Self is not destroyed when the body is
destroyed.
Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding old ones,
similarly the Self acquires new bodies after casting away its old bodies.
Bhagavad Gita
The Song of God, chap. 2.26-28
Even if you think of the Self as taking birth and
dying, again and again--still you should not
grieve.
Death is certain for the one who is born, as is
birth for the one who dies. Therefore, over
what is inevitable you should not lament.
All beings are unmanifest before birth, manifest during life, and
unmanifest again after death. In this, where is the cause for grief?
Kabir
The Weaver Poet
15th cent. CE
At the time of death,
the soul flies up, like a swan.
Then it sees that the world
was but a two-day carnival.
The body is a cage with ten doors,
the soul, a bird of air.
The wonder, my friend, is that it’s here . . .
It’s no wonder if it goes.
Sallekhana
Holy Death by Fasting in Jainism
Cessation of sorrow,
Cessation of karmas,
Death while in meditation,
The attainment of Enlightenment—
O Holy Jina! Friend of the entire universe!
Let these be mine,
For I have taken refuge at your feet.
--Jain Prayer
Please instruct me, sir. I have come forward to seek the vow of
sallekhana, which will remain in force as long as I live. I am free of
all doubts and anxieties in this matter. I renounce, from now until
the moment of my last breath, food and drink of all kinds.