Apara karma
Apara Karma, also known as the last rites, is a major ritual in Hinduism. This is a ritual offered for the dead that seeks to guide a deceased person over to the next world, implying a belief in an afterlife. This mourning practice is not only about grief but also about “living well” of the deceased and supporting people living this life.
Culturally Related Factors
Due to the Apara Karma, being a culture in people, there is a strong bonding of the families as most of the time people meet for the sake of remembrance. These rituals help people in a bereaved family grieve their loved ones by helping them to pay respect and love to the deceased in a systematic manner.
Families conduct these rituals because they want the love and nurturing aspect of the Hindu philosophy of reincarnation to play out for their deceased.
Benefits
This includes different ceremonies that are performed to ensure peace for the bereaved. These are performed by the family members as it is thought that these would assist the dead in attaining salvation. The rites may also such as:
01
Antyesthi: TThe last rolls, consisting especially of incineration and disposal of ashes.
02
Shraddha: Shraddha: Rites performed to propitiate the ancestors and get their blessings
This is also where the expression of Apara Karma is extended beyond the rituals. There is immense love and acknowledgement for the departed in their absence. Since families are provoked to conduct these activities whenever the dearly departed is being honoured, they will also be at ease in their sadness but in seeking the good path of the lost. This other worldview further reinforces the idea of life after death more so the concept of family disintegration when one passes on.