Ekam). However, the poem concludes
with the thought that even That One
may not know the secrets of the cosmos.
In its speculative tone and its admission
that the ultimate answer may be
unknown, it foreshadows the final
stratum of the Vedic literature,
the Upanishads.
Cremation
For most Hindus cremation is the
approved method for disposing of a
dead body, although one finds burialsin
certain circumstances and subcommu-
nities. The body is usually cremated on
the day of death, often only a few hours
after the person has expired. Although
one could see this as a hygienic measure
in a hot climate, for many Hindus the
religious reasons are even more com-
pelling. First, a corpseis considered to
be a source of violent impurity
(ashaucha) that is removed by destroy-
ing the body by fire. A second reason for
immediate cremation is to get rid of a
potential vehicle for wandering spirits,
who according to popular fears, can
reanimate a corpse.
The rites leading to cremation begin
immediately after death. As for all Hindu
rituals, there is great variation in differ-
ent regions and communities, but the
following description gives a general
picture of these rites, at least in northern
India: The body is bathed, laid on a bier
(often made from bamboo, which is
cheap, strong, and readily available),
and covered with a cloth (white for a
man or a widow, a colored sari for a
married woman). In many cases the big
toes are tied together with a thread, due
to the belief that this prevents an alien
spirit from reanimating the body. The
mourners carry the bier to the crema-
tion ground, chanting the traditional
dirge Ram Nam Satya Hai,Satya Boli
Gati Hai(“God’s name is Truth, Truth
spoken is Passage”). On the way, the
mourners will often halt several times,
not only to rest but also on the chance
that the deceased was merely uncon-
scious. When they arrive at the crema-
tion ground (which is often by a river or
source of water), the corpse is bathed
again and set on a pyre. The chief
mourner (traditionally the eldest son)
circles the pyre, pouring water from a
clay pot, which is then broken. Since
poetic images often compare the
ephemeral quality of human bodies to
that of clay pots, this action clearlyCremation
Hindu cremation on the Ganges River. Although cremation is the religiously preferred way to
dispose of a corpse, the relatively high cost of wood makes this difficult for poorer families.