What Happens at the Time of Death

Lord Vishnu said: just as one takes off old clothes and puts on new ones, the soul leaves one body. The body perishes, but the soul does not die. When a life's span is complete, the body's strength slowly fades, the senses grow weak, and the life-breath prepares to leave.

The Puran says that in the final moments a person remembers their whole life. One who has done good deeds stays calm, and gentle, pleasant messengers come to take them. One who caused others pain feels restless and afraid. The teaching is that our last moment is a mirror of our whole life.

Traditionally, when someone is taking their last breaths, the family sits nearby and chants God's name. A little Ganga jal and a tulsi leaf are placed in their mouth. Many families lay them on the ground on kusha grass, keep sesame nearby and light a lamp. The purpose of all this is to keep the departing person's mind on God.

The Garud Puran also speaks of giving at the time of death, such as sesame, grain, clothes or a cow, as much as the family can manage. It is believed this giving supports the soul on its onward journey. But the greatest support is God's name, which anyone can take, anywhere.

If your loved one passed suddenly, or you could not be with them at the end, do not carry guilt. The spirit of the Puran is that God is compassionate. Tradition holds that whatever the family does later with love and faith, whether prayer, reading or giving, also reaches the one who has gone.