The Sraddha: The Hindu Book of the Dead (A Treatise on the Sraddha Ceremonies)

The Sraddha: The Hindu Book of the Dead (A Treatise on the Sraddha Ceremonies)

Of the sixteen samskaras which encompass a Hindu life the last one is performed for the dead by their sons or grandsons or relatives. Many passages in the Puranas and Dharmasastras extol the role of the son in the life of a devout Hindu. The present book deals with the rite of Sraddha and vindicates the popular belief that Sraddha, being an important topic, forms an integral part of Hindu Dharmasastra. The belief in the after-death survival of deceased ancestors and their separate world belongs to the Indo-Iranian period and as such is pre-Vedic. Ancestor worship for one's prosperity, and continuation of one's race, is as old as the Rgveda. 

About The Author :

DR. R. C. PRASAD was a University Professor of English at Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was an eminent author, translator and editor. He had a good number of books to his credit. During which he wrote scores of books, including biographies and translations, the most outstanding of which is his prose rendering of Shri Ramacharitamanasa. Dr Prasad has also translated The Vivaha- The Hindu Marriage Samkaras and The Upanayana: The Hindu Sacrament Samskaras which are companion volumes to this book.