Shloka 49
मुक्तयतिदेहसंस्काररहस्यं — The Esoteric Rites for the Bodies of Liberated Ascetics
नृत्यवाद्यैर्ब्राह्मणानां वेदघोषैश्च सर्वतः । ग्रामम्प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य गच्छे त्प्रेतं तमुद्वहन्
nṛtyavādyairbrāhmaṇānāṃ vedaghoṣaiśca sarvataḥ | grāmampradakṣiṇīkṛtya gacche tpretaṃ tamudvahan
Accompanied on all sides by dance and music, and by Brahmins chanting the Vedas, he should circumambulate the village and then proceed onward, bearing that departed one (the body).
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kailasa Samhita teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
It frames the last rites as a dharmic saṁskāra performed with śruti (Vedic sound) and auspicious order, emphasizing that even death is handled with reverence, purity, and right-conduct—supportive of the soul’s onward journey under Pati (Shiva) as the ultimate Lord.
While the verse describes antyeṣṭi procedure, the Shiva Purana’s Shaiva lens treats such rites as acts of disciplined dharma that prepare the jīva for Shiva’s grace; Vedic recitation and pradakṣiṇā mirror temple practice around the Liṅga, redirecting the mind toward auspiciousness and the Lord’s ordering power.
The practical takeaway is Vedic/holy recitation and pradakṣiṇā performed with steadiness and purity; a Shaiva practitioner may also maintain inward remembrance of Shiva (e.g., silent japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while participating in the rite, keeping the mind anchored in Pati.