Cremation: Sending souls to the abode of God

Cremation: Sending souls to the abode of God

By I Wayan Sadia

SINGARAJA, Bali (JP): Ngaben (cremation) is an age-old tradition in Hindu Balinese society. It is regarded as the most significant religious ritual, and is known as pitra yadnya (sacred sacrifice for the dead). It is the desire of every Balinese to one day be able to perform this noble yadnya.. Because of its magnitude and the huge funds involved, a family may not be able to afford to immediately cremate their dead relative. They bury him or her and might wait 30 or more years until they can afford ngaben and find an auspicious day for the occasion. A wealthy family, however, tends to perform the sacred cremation as soon as an auspicious day (usually on the advice of a Hindu priest) is determined.

Ngaben is an exclusive sacrificial ritual and it is usually carried out by a single family or by a group of families of the same ancestral line called dadia. All the corpses belonging to this particular dadia are cremated together, while the rest of the community are invited to help with all the work related to the sacrifice.

The Balinese practice three styles of ngaben: nista (lower or modest), madya (medium) and utama (grand or prestigious). No one would ever think that the nista is necessarily less significant or inferior to the other two types as far as religious values and ethics are concerned. However, wealthy families feel pride when staging an utama, something that naturally causes awe and leaves a special impression in the minds of the people.

During the past few years many people have begun to think more pragmatically and economically when it comes to ngaben rituals. A number of dadia may agree to perform a collective pitra yadnya, which can considerably reduce the cost borne by each family involved.

Collective

Early this month, in Banyuning village, two kilometers east of Singaraja (the capital of Buleleng Regency in north Bali) 22 dadia agreed to perform what they called ngaben bersama (collective cremation rite). Some 327 corpses, including children, were cremated.

An organizing committee was set up to carry out the varied programs and to be responsible for the success of the whole business. This was the first mass ritual ever held in the village. Despite inexperience, the committee accomplished its task beautifully. Even Wirata Sindhu, the Buleleng regent, acknowledged and praised the well-executed work of the committee.

"The enthusiasm and high sense of responsibility on the part of the villagers, particularly the ngaben constituents, are key to the success of this religious enterprise," said Ketut Putera, head of the organizing committee. He quickly added that the committee readily helped some families who could not afford the religious rite.

According to the local pemangku (clergyman), the community is aware of the need to concentrate on the rituals and put aside internal differences to successfully accomplish the soul purifying ritual.

Putera added that the committee members had every reason to feel proud of the villagers' dynamism and high sense of belonging with regard to preparing the great work which culminated on Dec. 3 with the mass cremation.

Villagers prepared the intricate offerings under the supervision of an Hindu priest. Such a package would have cost millions of rupiah if bought from a supplier, but through mutual help the cost was reduced to only a few hundred thousand rupiah.

Ritual series

The following activities took place before the cremation day:

-- Nov. 3: Nanginin and ngajum , or welcoming the dead at the family's home, in which prayers and praises were presented. All members of the family and close relatives assembled for this festivity.

-- Dec. 1: Pembersihan or purifying every corpse which was represented in the form of adegan, a human figure made of sandalwood and placed in a construction designed for the purpose.

-- Dec. 2: Padeengan, or great procession, was held just after noon along the village road. All participants, adults and teenagers, were dressed in traditional costumes. Gracefully and charmingly dressed, the boys and girls looked like angels. Villagers, young and old, not wanting to miss this rare occasion, eagerly lined the street, each wanting to have a good look at the charming procession. Even the demigods were believed to find enjoyment in this unique scene.

-- Dec. 3: Pangutangan or pembakaran. All of the more than two hundred sarcophaguses -- mainly in the form of elephant-headed fish, and some in the form of black bulls or lions -- were placed in several rows in the graveyard in the center of the village. Each sarcophagus contained the bones of a single corpse. After the purifying ceremony was completed, the sarcophaguses were set on fire. The fire all at once rose into the sky to the delight of all the spectators. Occasionally kerosene was poured onto the fire, and it did not take long for the fire to consume the wooden beasts. Soon everything was reduced to ashes, and the families then collected their relative's ashes and put them into an emptied young coconut. When darkness fell the ashes were carried in a procession to be thrown into the sea. There was a short ritual before the ashes were finally thrown into the sea. But this was not the end of the day.

Only the gross body of the dead had been purified, while the suksma-sarira (the soul) had yet to be purified because it was still under the influence of its karma-wasana (attached to its past deeds -- good or bad). Therefore the soul had to be freed from this attachment in order to be granted access to heaven.

To make the ritual process shorter, on the same evening a nyekah ceremony was performed in which the adegans were purified by burning them with grass. Then the ashes of the adegans were also thrown into the sea in the same manner as the ashes of the bones. With this ritual done the soul of the dead was completely purified and unified with its creator.

Praise

Regent Wirata Sindhu, who came to Banyuning and was welcomed in the inner compound of Pura Dalem (Temple for the dead) by the organizing committee, praised the committee for its good work and appealed to the villagers to preserve their rich culture and the spirit of gotong-royong (mutual help). He also suggested that collective ngaben was a much preferred way of performing pitra yadnya because it cost less but was by no means less impressive.

"The ideal of ngaben," the regent said, "is to send the souls of the dead and ancestors off to the Abode of God, and it is our fervent wish that God will take them as part of Himself."

To a Balinese, ngaben gives satisfaction and peace of mind because he is able to pay his debt to his ancestors who have given him the chance to live prosperously and happily; a manifestation of jaghadita (material happiness) and moksha (spiritual happiness). Reaching the state of moksha, a soul is liberated from the chain of birth and death in this temporary world.