The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

central moment comes when the
departed’s pinda is divided into three
parts, one part is mixed with each of the
other three pindas, and finally all three
pindas are combined into one. At the
moment the three pindas are combined,
the departed is believed to have become
one (sapindi) with his ancestors, and to

have been transformed from a wander-

ing spirit into an ancestor as well. This

twelfth day rite is the last of the funerary

rites performed on a strict timetable.

Mourners may wait for years before per-

forming the final rite of asthi-visarjana,

in which bone and ashes from the dead

person’s cremationpyre are immersed

Sapindikarana

A groom and bride circle the sacred fire during the marriage ceremony,

a rite often combined with the saptapadi, or the seven steps.