* Funeral rites of Dharmadev performed by Rampratapji.
Sons of Dharma observe further funeral rites.
Suvrat said:-
O King! On the second day, the eldest son, having collected the bones and ashes from the funeral site, threw it in the river Sarayu. 1.
Then filling two un-burnt clay pots with water and milk, respectively, he deposited those there, for satiating the spirit, in the night. 2.
He offered ten morsels (Pinda) of food to the spirit and observed Nav-Shraddha, (funeral rites) for nine days. 3.
On the tenth day, along with all the blood-relatives, he went out of city and had his hair and beard shaved, after the offering of food to the departed one. 4.
Then he offered food (lunch) to all the relatives and brothers. On the eleventh day he performed all the rituals after the purification of the body. He worshipped Shri Krishna, at the beginning then made the funeral ritual in the Vaishnava tradition. Afterwards he pleased Vishnu with the musical hymns of Samaveda by the priests of Vishnu cult. 5- 6.
Then he performed eleven funeral rites in which, Vishnu, Shiva, Yama, Chandra, Agni, Kavya, Mrutyu, Rudra, Purush and Pret are the eleven Vishnugan shraddhas and other-five offered to Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Yama and Pret for the devatas shraddhas, thus sixteen in total. 7.
Having observed the ritual of letting loose a bull, then followed it with ritual of offering oblation to the deceased alone. Having worshipped Shri Hari, he gave a clay pot of water with food that being tied with a string. 8.
Having donated a bed-stead and other allied articles of utility of thirteen sorts, he gave to the Brahmins, other eight sorts of articles along with money. 9.
He donated cow, cShri Hariot, horse and buffaloes, etc. and performed the sixteen rites objected to departed person, as written in the Tantra books. 10.
He observed the funeral rite applicable to before completion of first month, then the first month, and one in the third fortnight and in the second month. Then followed the third month’s and fourth, then the fifth and one rite was observed prior to sixth month and the sixth. Thus he observed, the seventh, eighth and ninth. 11- 13.
He continued to observe rites for the tenth month and eleventh, then the twelfth, finally one more before the end (completion) of the year. 14.
He offered lunch to the relatives and Brahmins on the twelfth day and observed the rite of offering oblations to the deceased equating him with past ancestors. 15.
Following the ritual of offering oblations, he donated a cow, in the name of the deceased and one more, in the view of attaining salvation, along with Samaveda recital. 16.
On that day he satisfied thousands of Brahmins with four kinds of food articles, including relatives and others. 17.
On the thirteenth day, he richly worshipped Lord Vishnu along with minor deities Shravana and others. He gave various donations and thus observed the rite of provision for the journey (to heaven). 18.
Having taken bath and dressed with pure clothes, he having worshipped Ganesha and then observed a procedure of accepting auspices. 19.
Then, the disciples of Dharma, natives of the town and hundreds of others gave him wealth of different kinds, and new clothes. 20.
There he satisfied, on that day, thousands of Brahmins as well as all others, uninvited men, who had come there desiring food. 21.
Though the funeral rites were observed following principal codes, with donations of expensive gifts all along, there was hardly any deficiency, by virtue of Shri Hari’s gracious presence. 22.
Ramapratap with his son Iccharama and wife, used to mutter daily the hymns of Krishna that obtained from his father. 23.
They became forgetful that brother Shri Hari being Lord Krishna himself, perhaps by his will. He now thought of making exit from the house. 24.
Thus the ritualistic path that was declined by the atheists, now being resurrected by the lord on this earth, in the form of following father’s funeral rites accordingly. 25.
Thus ends the forty-first chapter entitled ‘Description of Dharma’s funeral rites’ in the first prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 41