According to the Garuda Purana: How long does the soul remain in the house after death?

When a funeral rite is performed, the body is offered to the fire according to Vedic mantras. According to sacred scriptures, the matter from which the body is composed returns to the same five elements after it turns to ash in the fire.

Often, at cremation sites, people are instructed not to look back when returning home after a funeral and to walk straight. This raises the question of why such a rule exists and what its reason is.

The Garuda Purana is considered one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. It contains various doctrines concerning virtue, ethics, yajna, japa, detachment, and religion. Furthermore, it includes descriptions of rules related to death and the state after death, including norms pertaining to burial.

According to religious beliefs, one should not look back after cremation. This is attributed to concepts related to the soul's attachment and worldly bonds. According to beliefs associated with the Garuda Purana, the soul does not disappear even after the body is destroyed. After death, the soul takes on a subtle body and continues its journey depending on the deeds it has performed; at the appropriate time, it attains a second body.

There is a belief that during cremation, the soul observes its body turning to dust. When the body is completely given over to the fire, this is seen as a sign for the soul that its connection to this body and worldly life is complete. It no longer has rights over it and must move on its path.

Renouncing worldly attachments and relationships can be difficult. According to religious views, this very attachment can become an obstacle on the soul's path. Therefore, the tradition of not looking back after a funeral is linked to helping the soul let go of worldly attachments.

It is believed that even after the body leaves the physical form, the attachment of the living soul to its relatives does not disappear instantly. It may feel sadness or joy seeing its loved ones. In such cases, turning back is interpreted as a sign of retaining attachment to the soul.

This is why the tradition of not looking back when returning from the crematorium exists. It is believed that relatives convey a message to the soul that its connection to this world is completely finished, and now it should let go of its attachments and continue its journey.

There is another concept: after the body burns, the soul may try to follow its relatives home. If a person looks back, it is regarded as a sign of the soul's attachment to its kin. However, it should be remembered that these are religious beliefs and should not be considered scientific facts.

It is because of these religious beliefs that the tradition of not looking back when returning from the crematorium has developed. Also, in some places, there is a tradition of not taking children to the crematorium, which is explained by similar beliefs and their psychological state.

Death is viewed as an inseparable truth of life from which no one can escape. The main texts of Hinduism describe in detail the journey of the soul after death, and the Garuda Purana holds a special place among these sacred scriptures. It contains a detailed description of the changes occurring in the body during death, the separation of the soul from the body, and many aspects related to Yamdutas.

According to the Garuda Purana, the soul's path after death depends on its karma. The text presents a particularly frightening description of the arrival of Yamdutas at the moment of death of a person who committed sinful deeds. Subsequently, details of the final moments of life and the time of the Yamdutas' appearance are discussed.

According to the description in the Garuda Purana, as a person's time of death approaches, their body begins to gradually weaken. Their senses cease to function properly, breathing problems arise, and the person often loses the ability to speak.

It is mentioned that in the final moments, breathing becomes heavy, and foam and saliva may be expelled from the mouth. General bodily functions weaken, and the last stage of life arrives.

One description in the Garuda Purana states that when the senses begin to weaken, the moment of death arrives, and then the messengers of Yama arrive. Special attention is paid to the case of a sinner, where two Yamdutas are described.

In the scripture, these messengers are depicted as terrifying beings; they carry a noose and a staff. The sight of these Yamdutas causes terror in the person near death.

Thus, according to this description in the Garuda Purana, the appearance of Yamdutas is associated with the very last stage of death and is not an event that occurs several days afterward.

The Garuda Purana also contains descriptions concerning the connection between the material body and the consciousness that separates at the moment of death. In the case of a sinner, it is said that the Yamdutas pull the soul out of the body and take it away. The soul is described in the scripture as microscopic, the size of a thumb. When the Yamdutas extract it from the body, the soul sees its abandoned body before being taken along Yama's path.

To understand this issue, it is necessary to examine various episodes of the Garuda Purana. In one place, the arrival of the Yamdutas in the final moments of life is described, while subsequent chapters dedicated to Pretalpa describe the journey days after death. One episode of Pretalpa mentions that on the thirteenth day, Yama's servants capture the ghost and take it on the great path. The body composed of pieces is also mentioned.

Therefore, in the religious tradition, rituals performed on the tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth days after death are considered important. The Garuda Purana mentions food offered to the deceased on the eleventh and twelfth days. On the thirteenth day, it speaks of his direction along Yama's path.

The Garuda Purana examines the journey after death through the prism of karma. The path to Yamaloka for a person who has committed sins is described as difficult and terrible. In religious interpretations, however, the journey of a person who has done good deeds is presented as relatively calm and easy.

One verse of Pretalpa describes the path for sinners as full of heat, cold, thorns, fire, and other sufferings, while for a moderate and pious person, the same path is described as calmer.

According to the Garuda Purana, after death, the soul travels towards Yama's city. Many places and difficulties are described on this path. The sinful person faces hunger, thirst, and other hardships on the way, and the Yamdutas lead him further.

Pretalpa also states that the ghost connected to Yama's noose leaves its home and heads towards Yama's city. Many routes are described, followed by the arrival in Yama's city.

Based on the main description in the Garuda Purana, it cannot be asserted that every dying person sees exactly the same Yamdutas. The available descriptions mainly relate to the death and subsequent journey of a sinful person. In later religious beliefs, Yamdutas are considered a sign of imminent death. Some modern religious articles also suggest that a person may see Yamdutas before death, but such claims should only be regarded as religious beliefs.

The description of death in the Garuda Purana is not intended solely to instill fear. Behind it lies the goal of explaining the principle of karma. The scripture repeatedly emphasizes that a person reaps the fruits of their good and bad deeds. According to religious views, upon death, the body, wealth, and worldly relationships are left behind; only their actions continue with the person. This is why the Garuda Purana attaches great importance to religion, compassion, virtue, and good deeds in life.