# Funerals



## Ruqa (Jul 13, 2012)

Hi all. Can you please tell me what happens when a Sikh passes away? Are they buried or do you cremate them? What sort of rituals are involved etc... Thanks.


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## Ishna (Jul 13, 2012)

From the SGPC Rehat Maryada:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Funeral Ceremonies (Antam Sanskar) 

* Article XIX*

                           a. The body of a dying                      or dead person, if it is on a cot, must not be taken off the                      cot z            and                       put on the floor. Nor must a lit lamp be placed beside,                      or a cow got bestowed in            donation                       by, him/her or for his/her good or any other ceremony,                      contrary to Guru's           way,performed.                      Only Gurbani should be recited or "Waheguru, Waheguru" repeated                                 by                      his/her side.

                           b. When some one shuffles                      the mortal coil, the survivors must not grieve or raise a                      hue       and cry or indulge                      in breast beating. To induce a mood of resignation to God's                      will, it is       desirable                      to recite Gurbani or repeat "Waheguru".

                          c. However young the deceased                      may be, the body should be cremated. However, where       arrangements                      for cremation cannot be made, there should be no qualm about                      the body       being immersed                      in flowing water or disposed of in any other manner. 

                          d. As to the time of cremation,                      no consideration as to whether it should take place          during                      day or night should weigh. 

                          e. The dead body should be                      bathed and clothed in clean clothes. While that is done, the                           Sikh symbols-comb, kachha, karha,                      kirpan-should not be taken off. Thereafter putting the      body                      on a plank, Ardas about its being taken away for disposal                      be offered. The he{censored}      should                      then be lifted and taken to the cremation ground. While the                      body is being carried      to the                      cremation ground, hymns that induce feelings of detachment                      should be recited. On       reaching                      the cremation ground, the pyre should be laid. Then the Ardas                      for consigning      the body to fire                      be offered. The dead body should then be placed on the pyre                      and the son      or any other relation                      or friend of the deceased should set fire to it, The accompanying                           congregation should sit at a                      reasonable distance and listen to kirtan or carry on collective                            singing of hymns or recitation of                      detachment-inducing hymns. When the pyre is fully       aflame,                      the Kirtan Sohila (prescribed preretirement night Scriptural                      prayer) be recited          and                      the Ardas offered. (Piercing the Skull half an hour or so                      after the pyre has been       burning                      with a rod or something else in the belief that will secure                      the release of the       soul- kapal                      kriya-is contrary to the Guru's tenets). The congregation                      should then leave.              Coming                      back home, a reading of the Guru Granth Sahib should be commenced                      at       home or in a nearby                      Gurdwara, and after reciting the six stanzas of the Anand                      Sahib,        the Ardas,                      offered and Karhah prashad (sacred pudding) distributed. The                      reading of the       Guru Granth                      Sahib should be completed on the tenth day. If the reading                      cannot, or is       sought not                      to, be completed on the tenth day, some other day may be appointed                      for the       conclusion of                      the reading having regard to the convenience of the relatives.                      The reading       of the Guru                      Granth Sahib should be carried out by the members of the household                      of the       deceased and relatives                      in cooperation. If possible, Kirtan may be held every night.                      No       funeral ceremony remains                      to be performed after the "tenth day."

                             f. When                      the pyre is burnt out, the whole bulk of the ashes, including                      the burnt bones,      should be gathered                      up and immersed in flowing water or buried at that very place                      and the      ground levelled. Raising                      a monument to the memory of the deceased at the place where                           his dead body is cremated is                      taboo.

                           g. Adh Marg (the ceremony                      of breaking the pot used for bathing the dead body amid     doleful                      cries half way towards the cremation ground), organised lamentation                      by women,     foorhi (sitting on a straw                      mat in mourning for a certain period), diva (keeping an oil                      lamp lit     for 360 days after the death                      in the belief that that will light the path of the deceased),                      Pind     (ritual donating of lumps of                      rice flour, oat flour, or solidified milk (khoa) for ten days                      after      death), kirya (concluding                      the funeral proceedings ritualistically, serving meals and                      making     offerings by way of Shradh,                      Budha marna (waving of whisk, over the he{censored} of an old     person's                      dead body and decorating the he{censored} with festoons), etc. are                      contrary to the     approved code. So                      too is the picking of the burnt bones from the ashes of the                      pyre for     immersing in the Ganga, at                      Patalpuri (Kiratpur), at Kartarpur Sahib or at any other such                          place.[/FONT]


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## Ruqa (Jul 13, 2012)

Thank you for your very very quick ultra thorough response Ishna ji! Much appreciated!kudihug


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