The document provides information about Hindu beliefs and practices related to death and mourning. It discusses: 1) Hindu beliefs about death being a detachment from suffering and a new attachment to God, and that one's fate after death depends on their karma. 2) Hindu death rituals including positioning the body, applying sacred items, prayers around the body, and cremation practices like carrying the body around the pyre. 3) Post-cremation rituals like bone gathering, bathing to remove ritual impurity, and restrictions during mourning like not visiting temples for a year. 4) How families cope with loss through memorial meals on specific days and annual death anniversary ceremonies.

1. University of Cambodia
Lectured by:
Mut Somoeun, M.Ed
RGL 101: IntRoductIon to
ReLIGIon

2. The Oldest Religion
The most sacred
syllable and
quintessential
symbol of
Hinduism,
represents the first
manifestation of
Brahman.

3. How was Hinduism Created?
1. Hinduism is one of the oldest known religions
in the world (3500 years)
A) No single person founded Hinduism, it
evolved from early Aryan and Dravidian
beliefs.
B) It does not have one single sacred book,
they have many. Two important books are
the Veda and the Upanishads.
The Rig Veda, meaning fount of knowledge, is regarded by Hindus as the
highest, the most sacred scriptures. It is the oldest religious scripture in
the world.
The Upanishads are philosophical texts delineating some of the key
concepts within Hinduism, including notions of the soul, reincarnation,
karma, Brahman and liberation.

4. How was Hinduism Created?
2. Hindus believe that their main god, Brahman is an unchanging,
all powerful spiritual force. The perfect state of being!
A) Hindus can worship many gods, one god, or no gods.
B) However, most Hindus believe that Brahman takes the form
of many gods.
Pantheism: The belief that the divine is in all things and
unifies all things, but is ultimately greater than all
things.
Monotheism or Polytheism?
Brahman is seen as one unity, with the personal Gods
different aspects part of only one Supreme Being, like a
single beam of light separated into colors by a prism,
and are valid to worship.

5. What is the symbol ofWhat is the symbol of
Hinduism?Hinduism?
““Aum”Aum” is the main symbol of
Hinduism. It is the sound heard
in deepest meditation and is
said to be the name most suited
for God

6. HinduismHinduism
• The ancient faith of Hinduism developed in India, where
it has millions of followers to this day.
• Hinduism has the longest history of all religions, its
roots going back so far that it is difficult to pinpoint the
origins.
• Has many founders and origins, unified, like their
thousands of gods, by the belief that all are part of the
all-embracing ultimate reality.

7. HinduismHinduism
•Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the
world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it
as Sanātana Dharma, "the eternal tradition-law," or
the "eternal way," beyond human history.
•Scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of
various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse
roots.
•"Hindu synthesis" started to develop between 500
BCE and 300 CE, following the Vedic period (1500
BCE to 500 BCE).

8. Hinduism FactsHinduism Facts
•Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion,
after Christianity and Islam.
•Today there are about 650 million Hindus
worldwide.
•The majority of Hindus live in India, where the
religion was born.
•One in every seven people in the world is a
Hindu living in India.

9. What is the Hindu way of life?What is the Hindu way of life?
• There are four goals in human life:
Moksha - the release of the soul (Atman) from the cycle
of rebirth.
The individual soul (Atman) unites with Brahman the
universal soul.
Dharma - the code for leading one's life.
Respect for elders is considered important and many
consider marriage as a son's religious duty.
Artha - the pursuit of material gain by lawful means.
Karma- through pure acts, knowledge and devotion, you
can reincarnate to a higher level. The opposite achieves
the contrary result.

10. Hindu PracticesHindu Practices
•Puja (worship) and recitations, meditation, family-
oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and
occasional pilgrimages.
•Some Hindus leave their social world and material
possessions, then engage in lifelong Sannyasa
(monastic practices) to achieve Moksha.

11. Hindus’ DutiesHindus’ Duties
•Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties:
• Honesty,
• Refraining from injuring living beings (ahimsa),
• Patience, forbearance,
• Self-restraint,
• Compassion among others.

12. The Hindu Trinity:
Brahma – The
Creator
Vishnu – God of
Love, the Preserver
Shiva – God of
Destruction and
Reproduction
Most Hindu gods are manifestations or avatars of
these primary gods. Indo-European peoples are
famous for their trinities including the Greeks,
Romans and Germanic (Viking) peoples.

13. Other Prominent Deities/ Gods inOther Prominent Deities/ Gods in
HinduismHinduism
•The primary deity or deities:
• Hanuman/ monkey god is an incarnation of
Vishnu
•Also, the two popular Gods: Ganesh (god of
good fortune), and Laksmi (god of wealth and
purity).

14. 1. Ahimsã (non-injury) Don't harm others by word, deed or thought.
2. Satya (truthfulness) Refrain from lying and betraying promises.
3. Asteya (nonstealing) Don't steal, covet or enter into debt.
4. Brahmachãrya (controlling sex) Observe celibacy when single, and faithfulness in
marriage.
5. Kshamã (forgiveness) Restrain from intolerance and ill will.
6. Dhriti (firmness) Overcome fear, indecision, and fickleness.
7. Dayã (compassion) Conquer callous and insensitive feelings.
8. Ãrjava (honesty) Renounce fraud, cheating and stealing.
9. Mitãhãra Refrain from overeating and consuming meat.
10. Shaucha (purity) Observe purity of the body, mind and intellect.
Moral and Ethical Ideals of Hindus

15. 11. Hrî (remorse) Be modest and show remorse for misconduct.
12. Santosha(contentment) Don't be a slave to the senses. Seek joy and
serenity in the Self.
13. Dãna (tithing) Give generously without thought of reward. The more
you give, the more you get.
14. Ãstikya (faith) Have unwavering faith in God's grace.
15. Pûjana (worship) Perform daily worship and meditation.
16. Shravana (hearing of
scriptures)
Study scriptures, listen to the teachings of the wise,
and faithfully follow guru's advice.
17. Mati (cognition) Sharpen the intellect with guru's guidance.
18. Vrata (sacred vows) Observe scriptural injunctions faithfully.
19. Japa (chanting) Chant God's names and sacred mantras daily.
20. Tapas (austerity) Perform sãdhana (spiritual discipline) as outlined
by the guru.

16. Hindu Attitudes toward Death
•The Hindus view death as a detachment from
suffering and a new attachment to God.
•They know that suffering is a natural part of life
and death, but they endure it bravely.
•Hindus believe that the deceased are reborn
depending on their karma.

17. Death Rituals
•As Death Approaches
•Hindus traditionally die at home among their
loved ones.
•It is considered better than dying in a hospital.
•The dying person is placed in his room with his
head facing the eastern direction, with a lamp
near his or her head.
•Their loved ones chant hymns and prayers until
the person departs.

18. Death Rituals, continued
•At Death
• Sandal paste or holy ash is applied to the forehead and few drops
of milk, or water of the river Ganges are dribbled into his mouth.
• The body is now positioned for the head to face the south.
• The top of the head, and the area under the chin, are tied with a
cloth.
• A Hindu priest is called for the death ceremony, also known as a
homa.
•Family members will pray around the body as soon as
possible after death. People will try to avoid touching
the corpse as it is considered polluting.

19. Chief Mourners
•What is a chief mourner?
•The person who leads the fire ritual.
•The eldest son in the case of a dying father.
•The youngest son in the case of a dying mother.

20. Preparing the Body
• The chief mourner is then made to perform some rituals,
like arati (a ritual in which light from wicks soaked in
purified butter or camphor, is offered to the gods), and
passes the oil lamp over the body, while offering flowers.
• The relatives then carry the body back to the porch and
cover it with a white cloth. The body is bathed with the
water from the nine kumbhas and placed in a coffin.
• Women walk around the body offering puffed rice into the mouth,
which is to nourish the soul in the journey ahead.

21. Cremation
• Only men go to the crematorium.
• The body is removed from the coffin and is carried around
the pyre thrice in the counterclockwise direction.
• The chief mourner, with the clay pot on his shoulders,
circles the pyre; while, a relative knocks holes in the pot at
each round, to let the water pass. This signifies that the soul
is leaving the body.
• After taking the three turns, the mourner lights the pyre
without turning to face the body.

22. Bone-gathering ceremony
•The family returns to the cremation ground after
12 hours to collect the remains (ash and bones) of
the body.
•First, water is sprinkled over the ash and then the
ash is collected in a vessel. Later, the ash is offered
in the holy river, Ganges.

23. Post Cremation: Ritual Impurity
•After the cremation ceremony, every member of
the family takes a bath and cleans the house.
•During these days of ritual impurity, family and
close relatives do not visit each others' houses.
•They do not attend any marriages, they do not
celebrate festivals, nor do they visit temples or
priests for a year.

24. Traditions
•If a wife dies before her husband she is dressed in
red bridal clothes.
•If a woman is a widow she will be dressed in white
or pale colors.

25. Other Rituals
•When a person dies, the body is given a final bath,
carried on a wooden stretcher by his kin and
cremated on the community cremation grounds
generally by the eldest son, the chief mourner.

26. Where do they believe they go after
death?
• Souls are immortal and imperishable.
• Where the person goes after death depends on karma.
• Hindus believe that after death, their souls travel to either a
lower, middle, or higher world.
• Lower world- souls that were “evil-doers,” and is painful
to endure.
• Middle world- souls that were considered “average”
• Higher world- for righteous souls, and it is very
pleasurable.
• Death is a sad occasion, but Hindu priests emphasize the
route ahead for the departed soul and a funeral is as much a
celebration as a remembrance service.

27. How Families Cope
•On the 3rd, 5th, 7th or 9th day, relatives gather
for a meal of the deceased's favorite foods. A
portion is offered before his photo and later
ceremonially left at an abandoned place.
•On the 31st day, a memorial service is held.
•A Hindu priest conducts a formal ceremony at
the yearly anniversary of the person’s death.

28. Questions?