Wedding ceremony teaches responsibility towards husband, wife, children, community, and the country. The groom holds the hand of the bride and makes a promise that his wife will be the queen of his home and Goddess of his prosperity. He also promises to be firm like a rock in his love and affection for her. It is very important to learn about the vows and Saptpadi (seven steps) ceremony before getting married.
Antyeshti (अं येि ट)
Is the last Sanskār, a farewell to the departed soul ( ātmā). Antyeshti (final Yagna - religious ceremony) is performed after death when the body is offered to the fire ( Agni). The gross body is reduced back into five elements - earth, water, fire, air, and space - from which it was formed. This ceremony is important for the family and friends of the deceased who have to face the final separation of the departed soul and let the soul continue its journey. Death is considered - not an end of a life - but a transition to a new beginning, another chance to be born in a new body, learn more about how to live a life, improve and evolve.
For all living beings, our greatest fear in life is that of death - our own or that of a close relative or friend. According to our tradition, those who are born have to die and all who die are born again. Since it happens to all of us, our relatives, friends and even enemies; it is not wise to get paralyzed at the thought of death. We all feel the loss but we need to accept the universal truth and move on.
Bhagavad Gitā talks about the soul (Ā tman) and how it is different from the physical body: दे हनः अि मन ्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा ।
तथा देहा तर ाि त : धीरः त न मु य त ।।२ : १३।।
The soul living in this body
(the energy that keeps the physical body alive)
goes through childhood, youth, and old age.
It leaves the body at the time of death.
Knowing this, the wise and the mentally strong (person)
does not grieve (excessively at the time of death).
न जायते ि यते वा कदा चत् न अयम् भू ा भिवता वा न भूय : ।
अजो िन : शा वतो अयम् पुराणो न ह ते ह माने शरीरे ||२ :२० ||
The soul (Ātman, energy) is not born and does not die.
It (soul) has no past, future or present
(because it is eternal and indestructible).
It is not born, is permanent, changeless and eternal.
The soul (Ātman) is not killed when the body destroyed.
वासां स जीणा न यथा वहाय नवा न गृ णा त नरोङपरा ण ।
तथा शर रा ण वहाय जीणा न अ या न संया त नवा न देह ।।२ : २२।।
Just as we give away old clothes and buy new ones,
In the same way the ātman (soul) leaves an old body