The Rules for visiting the Cremation Grounds after death of someone!
A Girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare Krishna prabhuji..can we go to cremation?what are the formalities we need to follow before and after..? does anything happens to us like getting fever or something else orr do it has any effect to our future and personal life..explain in detail please..thank you prabhuji..hare Krishna…
As yesterday my younger brothers friend’s father met with accident and dead so my brother wants go there and help him but my mother refused him to go there i don’t know y she did like this..however he went yesterday but today he didn’t went ,my brother also some what as he didn’t went ..tell me prabhuji who can go there and wat age of people can go..may b my English some what difficult to understand pls don’t mind..hare Krishna. my brother also some what sad as he didn’t went …”
REPLY:
Garuda Purana is the authority to speak about the rules for visiting the Cremation Grounds. It says that women should not go to cremation grounds. They can go upto the end of their streets. There can be following reasons:
(1) Women are mostly emotional (Not all women. There are many strong women now a days). So, they may cry and break down and their body may be affected seeing the scenes of cremation.
(Inability to do Asthi Visarjan (Ash Scattering)! Alternative ways! READ HERE!)
(2) When a woman gets periods in cremation ground, she may be caught by some bad ghosts because the cremation ground is the place where 100s of ghosts are living because of prematured deaths. So, women are not allowed in cremation grounds as ghosts will catch the women with periods if they come to the living place of such bad ghosts.
(3) As per the vedic advices, all the death related rituals are to be done by males only. Why only males? As I have already said in some other counselling, males are “seed givers” and hence they are the members of continuing generations. The death rituals must be done by the next generational member only. Women are said to be the assisting members for males in propagating generations. So, only son is empowered to perform vedic rituals for the death of father or mother.
(4) In case, a person has no son, but, only daughter, the son of the brother of the deceased person can perform the rituals after death. In case the deceased person has no brother or brother’s son , but, only a daughter, then, the husband of his daughter can perform death rituals.
(5) If all these relations are not available, his grandson (daughter’s son) can perform rituals. If he too is not there, any other male member of the blood related relation may perform death rituals.
Thus, death rituals are MALE ORIENTED ones. So, women are not necessary to be present there. If they are present, they will cry and disturb the rituals. They may also be affected by bad ghosts. This may also the reason.
So, only males are allowed in cremation grounds.
Children are not allowed unless he is the son of the deceased. Because, such scenes may cause harms in the minds of children.
However, the friends and important members of society may attend funeral, but, they can not take part in the vedic rituals. Only BLOOD RELATED MALES can perform rituals.
(What is the Journey after death for animals birds and species? READ HERE!)
About effects of attending funerals:
It depends on the strength of the heart of the persons attending the funeral. If the person lacks in self esteem, he may be psychologically affected. His mental agitations may cause some effects like fever, upsets, loss of hopes etc.
If they are very weak mentally, some bad ghosts may attack them. That is why, ghosts attack women more. The same ghosts do not catch if the women is mentally strong. So, the women too have to develop mental strength to protect themselves from the attack of ghosts.
If a woman is mentally weak and also have some menstrual discharges, there are chances for the bad ghosts to catch them. Even if a weak male who goes to funeral ground without taking bath after sex, ghosts can catch him also.
So, any male who has mental strength can attend the funerals. And, if a devotee chants Hare Krishna and/ or Gayathri Manthra sincerely, he too is safe with the ghosts and the ghosts can not come near to him/ her.
All the above advices are only for those who are not serious in devotion or non devotees. Serious devotees can feel free to visit anywhere anytime. Because, Lord’s Name will always protect them.
Except the effects mentioned above for some selected people, there is no other personal effects in going to cremation grounds.
These are a few Rules for visiting the Cremation Grounds!
(Asthi Visarjan (or) Ash immersion ceremony and Its importance! READ HERE!)