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question on cremation

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vasan • April 5, 1999 


Please accept adiyen's pranamams.

As Srimathi Nagu Satyan entrusted in me the responsibility of saying a few words
on GadyaTrayam in the NAMA function, i was making an effort to understand the
abc's of this captivating prose (thanx for all the posts devoted to the Gadya
Trayam that we recently relished). Since i was reading the most simple meanings
of this work, i came to realise that SriVaikuntha Gadyam is a nice description
of what one gets to see and do (ntyakainkaryam) there. It kind of re-kindled in
me the thought of cremation, that i have debated within myself for some time
now.

In the Hindu custom, we cremate a body, that has gone thru life. As some of us
may not get moksham , it makes sense that the body is of no use following our
death. Since, the jiva (atman) takes up another body in its quest to escape
samsara.

It gets confusing when one considers a soul in a body that actually attains
moksham. In the book  "Life of Ramanujacharya : (RKM publication)", they mention
that the Sri Alavandar was cremated following his death. A Mahapurushan such as
Alavandar who attained moksham , should be presently doing nityakainkaryam for
Perumal in SriVaikuntham. If Alavandar was cremated, does his soul still have
the body of Alavandar (on earth) in Vaikuntham? (ie, If in SriVaikuntham, the
souls still have the body they were-in during their stay on earth). (This is
just one example that came to my  fictitious brain when i started putting
together this note.)

 Both Nammalvar and Ramanuja mention the beauty of SriVaikuntham (Tiruvaymoli
{Suzhvisum pani mughil}, and  SriVaikuntha Gadyam, respectively) and the
nityasooris and mumukshus. Since Garudan, Adiseshan,  Viswaksenar (to name a
few) have a body that is similar to those on earth, others who attained Moksham
must also have the body they adorned on earth.

I am looking to the learned members of this group to help me understand. I have
few other (silly) questions that i plan to post later.
(Silly questions come from Silly minds, and i am the best example).

thanking you for your patience.
adiyen, Ramanuja dasan
(srinivasan)