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Path to moksha
On the banks of the holy Ganga, where the river that flows southeast makes a sharp turn towards the north as if it were looking back at its origins, is the world’s oldest living city and India’s most spiritual place Varanasi. Believed that that’s where Lord Shiva meditated thousands of years ago, the mystical cremation grounds of Manikarnika are considered a sacred place where the divine and mortal worlds intersect, and Shiva’s presence is particularly potent.
While elsewhere, death is followed by rebirth, with only a few enlightened escaping the never-ending reincarnation cycle through infinite devotion, knowledge, meditation, or selfless service, the lucky ones whose final rite of passage takes place here are all liberated. Merging with Lord Shiva, their souls attain a state of pure energy called moksha.
And so, the cremation pyres of Manikarnika, lit by the eternal fire ignited by Lord Shiva, keep burning from sunset to sunset, each day, every day for 3500 years now. Frail elders from all over India embark on a pilgrimage to Varanasi, hoping to meet their death here. And Sadhus and Aghoris who renounced the worldly life to follow a deeply spiritual path, come here to meditate. Facing burning bodies, they confront their fear, seek to overcome earthly attachments, and realize the ultimate truth of our existence.
From mystery and tenderness through ritual protocol to intense confrontation, detachment, faith, and a final release - the film not only depicts the distinct ritual stages of the Hindu cremation, but by engaging the senses and appealing to emotions, it confronts the audience with the enigma of death and the ephemeral nature of our world - aiming to inspire them to ask the life’s big questions.
HINDUISM
FINAL RITE OF PASSAGE
MANIKARNIKA GHAT
VARANASI
INDIA
Screening Time 17:40 min
Release date: 30. April 2024
Ritual Insights
The body of the deceased, anointed with oil, draped in a white shroud signifying purity and peace, and layers of saffron fabric that symbolize reincarnation, is adorned with marigold garlands believed to protect against negative energies, and placed on a bamboo stretcher.
Since it is believed that expressed grief and weeping may prevent the soul from departing, female relatives are discouraged from attending the final rite of passage. And so, it’s the male mourners who carry the stretcher to the cremation grounds, chanting RAM NAAM SATYA HAI. A powerful reminder that only Ram, the god of Truth, is immortal while everything on the earthly plane, loved ones included, is temporary - the mantra brings solace and strength to those who are grieving.
Since Hindus believe that the corpse must be purified to release the soul, the men immerse the body in Ganga’s holy water, cleansing it from earthly impurities, and hoping to wash away bad karma before proceeding to the cremation ceremony.
Tenderly removing the many layers of the saffron cloth, the mourners strip the body to the simple white sheet that symbolizes a blank slate, akin to the soul's state after death that is free from the colors of worldly attachment.
The body is placed on a funeral pyre made of fragrant sandalwood, with the head pointing towards the holy river. The ritual that follows is usually carried out by the deceased’s eldest son whose head has been ritually shaved and who is wearing a white robe to show respect. Circumambulating the body numerous times, keeping the deceased on the side of the auspicious right hand, he gradually lights the pyre with a bundle of reeds ignited by Shiva’s eternal flame, setting into motion a process of profound transformation. In an act of final offering and sacrifice, the god of fire, Agni, is asked to consume the physical body and prepare its essence for departure. The fire is left to burn itself out in the hope that in the process the skull will explode and release the soul. Breathing a sacred mantra into the deceased’s ear, Shiva imparts one final wisdom to accompany the soul on its path to liberation.
It takes about three hours for the body to turn to ash. While some family members accompany the deceased through this process by actively watching the flames devour the body, others retreat to a small temple within the cremation grounds to attend a Puja for the departing souls. With the fire element ever-present, the Hindu priest pays tribute to Lord Shiva who is depicted on the temple wall as Mahakaal, the deity of time and death. The garland of skulls around his neck is a tangible reminder that life’s purpose is to evolve beyond the perishable physical body.
The mantras incorporated in the Puja part of the film are:
OM SHANTI
‘eternal peace for all of mankind’
which according to Hindu scripture is achieved only when a soul reaches moksha.
MAHA MRITYUNJAYA MANTRA
(Moksha Mantra)
We worship the three-eyed (Lord Shiva)
One, who is fragrant and who nourishes all.
Like the fruit falls off from the bondage of the stem,
may we be liberated from death, from mortality.
The prayer culminates in everyone present raising their hands and chanting HAR HAR MAHADEV - an expression of complete devotion and the wish to be freed from sorrow, ego, and ignorance…
Once the body turns to ash, the son writes with his finger into the dust the name of the deceased. Turning his back to the cremation pyre, he repeatedly pours over his shoulder water from the Ganga to smother the final flames, eventually throwing the clay pot itself. Broken into pieces, the shattered vessel symbolizes the severed ties with the deceased.
What remains is the strongest part of the ribcage in men, and the pelvic bone in women. Just as tiny as when we are born, the remnants recovered from the smoldering embers are carried by the son to the riverbank and tossed into Ganga’s holy water which completes the rite of liberating the soul that is now free to attain Moksha and be absorbed into the divine force of ultimate reality.
The overall ceremony concludes with the ritual attendees taking a sacred bath in the holy river to reclaim purity after being exposed to death, and as a final blessing for the departing soul of their loved one.