NGABEN – CREMATION

NGABEN – CREMATION

The Pitra Yadnya ceremony is popularly as Ngaben or cremation. In the Balinese language, ngaben means to supply the deceased with the things he needs in his journey trough the after life to be united with the Lord Sang HyangWidhi, or at least to reincarnate in the form of more perfect creature. Once a soul has been repeatedly reborn into the world, it will, according to the law of Karma Phala, become perfected and be freed of worldly cares to become one with the source of all things, the One and Only God.

In the Hindu dharma holy books, the ngaben ceremony is referred to as Atiwa-Tiwa. This rite constitutes a sacrifice to the forefather for their mutual welfare and those forefathers who have returned to the afterlife to become one with the source of all things, the Lord Sang
HyangWidhi. This ceremony is one life’s obligation, which must be performed by a child on behalf of his deceased parents.

Before the deceased can be brought to the gravesite to be cremated where his soul will free to begin its journey trough the afterlife, a series of preliminary ceremonies must be performed. Perhaps the most interesting feature of the ngaben ceremonies is the joy and gaiety which surround the procession of the corpse and casket to the cremation site. The religion of the Balinese dictates that they release the deceased and his soul whitout remorse. Only those who have perfectly absorbed the teachings or their religion can find the inner reserve to greeting death with joy.

The cremation is intended to speed the process of the return of the deceased human being to his origin, to the macrocosms and the return of his soul to Paramatma, to the One and Only God. The joy of this re-union pervades the ngaben ceremonies and infects the heart of all who are present, family and friend, townsfolk and tourists.