The Rig Veda: An Anthology

This section contains six hymns focusing on death and funeral rites, reflecting the mythology and ritual surrounding early Vedic society’s treatment of the dead. The first poem (10.14) is a hymn urging Yama, the king of the dead, to grant happiness and health to the deceased in the afterworld. The poet invites Yama and the ancestors to the sacrifice, where the sacred drink Soma and a butter-rich oblation are offered to them with a prayer that the deceased’s survivors may live a long and happy life. Yama was the first man to die and lead the way to the afterlife; he rules the realm of the dead where the ancestors now dwell. The poet instructs the dead man to go forth and unite with Yama, the ancient fathers, and “the rewards of your sacrifices and good deeds, in the highest heaven” (44). Running past Yama’s four-eyed guard dogs, the deceased reaches heaven and receives a new body.

In the second hymn (10.16), the poet implores Agni, the personified sacrificial fire, to gently consume the dead man and return him to his ancestors. The poet alternately addresses Agni and the cremated corpse in this funeral liturgy.