Chapter 40 - Dharmadev relieved from the curse of Muni Durvasa

Dharma departs; his sons observe funeral rites.

Suvrat said:- 

O King! When the wise sons noted the loosened body of their father, they were sure at heart that his death was approaching. 1. 

Then Sri Shri Hari called the Brahmins who were well-versed in funeral rites and performed all the rituals. 2. 

As a purifying ritual performed for the body, they observed the declaration of six year-atonement with donations as substitutes of gold, accordingly. 3. 

Taking the permission of the assembly of learned men there, they performed shaving of hair ritual for him, leaving the areas of head, armpits and genitals, and also performed tenfold baths. 4. 

Drawing an eight petal lotus diagram, invoking Shri Krishna in that, with his eight queens, beginning with Rukmini and others, they worshipped Him with hymns of the Vedas. 5. 

On account of purification rites, they gave away gifts of cows and other ten gifts that included cows, land, sesame and others, to the Brahmins. 6. 

One thousand pots of clarified butter with uncooked food articles including money, were donated. Along with it, a ‘Vaitarani’ cow, Utkranti cow, Runna cow, Paap cow and Moksha cow were gifted, in view of death. 7. 

Following the principal codes they donated cows as atonement for debts, sins, and for attaining salvation. 8. 

Having seen him lying like a staff and breathing his last, quickly, they, the sons, bathed him with holy water, with tears in their eyes. 9. 

They made him sleep on the ground smeared with cow dung and scattered with Kusha grass and sesame, with his head placed in northern direction. 10. 

All the relatives, gathered there, began to sing names of Krishna, loudly, that which is reputed to take away sorrows. 11. 

The god being in front, Dharma had his eyes fixed on Him, with an unwavering mind, left his earthly body instantly. 12. 

With the grace of Shri Hari, he became liberated from the curse of Durvasa, immediately obtaining divine form, with ease. 13. 

Then, in his divine form, he stayed with Bhakti and others, serving, Shri Krishna eternally, being with Him. 14. 

Final rites of Dharmadev performed by Rampratapji. 

Seeing his vital breath leaving him, the sons behaved in a modest way, becoming courageous, as there should be no weeping at that. 15. 

Having shaved their heads, they took bath in cold water and the eldest son performed the funeral rites of his father. 16. 

As his father died a natural death, without having any ailments of upper body and also of other parts, owing to which no expiation was required to be observed. 17. 

Ramapratap, himself, to be a rightful claimant to perform father’s obsequies, observed a Krucchra candrayan vrat, in which he gave away gold to the deserving. 18. 

Having besmeared the deceased with clarified butter and bathed and covering him with a single new white cloth, he laid the corpse, as before. 19. 

And he covered him (the corpse) again with one more cloth of same quality. Then he worshipped him with sandal, wreaths of flowers. 20. 

Having placed golden coins on seven holes beginning with his face, he performed, ‘Utkramana Shraddha’ one of obsequies, at the place of death. 21. 

In the name of corpse, he offered a bit of food, to it, circumbulating anticlockwise, and then at the entrance, in the name of its final journey he again offered one more bit of food, which meant for the deceased alone, (Ekoddista). 22. 

Having tied the cloth-covered corpse on to a bamboo-hearse, his sons, nearest relatives and people belonging to him, carried it in eastern direction. 23. 

The eldest son of Ramapratap, named Nandaram, having carried customary fire, from the place of death, moved ahead. 24. 

Ramapratap offered third morsel of food, in the name of dead-spirits moving in the sky, and other spirits, on the cross-way. 25. 

Old and the young men followed him, moving ahead of women, who followed up to the cross way only, then went to the river. 26. 

In the crematorium, having placed the corpse on the pyre, the eldest son offered, accordingly, a morsel of food to the deceased in the name of Sadhaka. 27. 

On a purified ground, the pyre was prepared with woods of Tulsi, Peepal, sandal (Chandan), and leaving the corpse there, funeral fire was lit. 28. 

When half burnt, the bathed, ghee-smeared, single-clothed, down-ward faced corpse, he, again offered sesame, clarified butter into the funeral fire. 29. 

Then his sons and relatives wept exceedingly, stood there till the completion of burning, being mournful. 30. 

They never turned back to see the funeral site having let the young in front, went to the great river Sarayu, recollecting about the departed soul. 31. 

Having washed their clothes and wearing those only, they all, including the old, having untied their hair (Shikha), on the head, took bath in the river. 32. 

Having dipped only once in the river, all of them came back to the bank, wearing their sacred threads on the right shoulders. Having taken water put in palm (Achamanas) three times and tied their hairs, took in their right hands, Kusha grass, pointing south. 33. 

Facing south, they offered handful oblations of water with sesame for dead ancestors belonging to three generations, uttering their gotra names. (Gotra-clan’s name). 34. 

His sons, nearest relatives, other men belonging to him, thus offered handful of water oblations (to him). 35. 

Having taken bath again, and worn other clothes, they sat by river bank, being sad and sorrowful. 36. 

People those who were there around, like old men, and the courageous, and men well-versed in Puranas, tried variously to console them through exemplifying the past. 37. 

Having let the young in front, slowly they walked home, not looking back, all of them moved in a row, sadly. 38. 

Having bathed, the women, sorrow stricken, reached the house ahead, of them, gathered there, began to wail. 39. 

Having chewed some curry leaves at the entrance, then having touched the fire and bull they entered the house. 40. 

The relatives having consoled the weeping sons, left for their homes, as did even their women. 41. 

Then they purified the house and did not eat salt and salted food for ten days and slept on the floor. 42. 

They left all enjoyment including laughter and others and listened to Bhagavad Gita, every day. 43. 

The nearest seven generations relatives observed period of untouchability (sutak) for ten days while relatives of 8th-14th generations for three days. 44. 

Those who did not belong to his family (clan), and his disciples, observed sutak for one and a half day (Pakshini - one night enclosed by two days). 45. 

They only observed rituals of the day mentally without oblations of Kusha grass and water. They offered oblations to the sun, directly in the days of impurity. 46. 

They did worship Shri Krishna in heart looking at his idol every day, but did not observe giving oblations to Vaishnavadevas. 47. 

Confirmed celibate, Shri Hari observed all the rituals pertaining to the day, accordingly cooking himself separately; he observed strict untouch-ability (sutak) with his men every day. 48. 

Thus ends the fortieth chapter entitled ‘Dharma’s final departure and rites observed following it’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 40