Article: In the midst of deep grief, a scholar writes how Hindu rituals taught her to let go Written by Ketika Garg | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketikagarg/ X: @ketikagarg Link to the article: https://theconversation.com/in-the-midst-of-deep-grief-a-scholar-writes-how-hindu-rituals-taught-her-to-let-go-145370 Published on: Oct 1, 2020 ------- The conversation begins with an outline summarizing the key aspects of these rituals, emphasizing the belief in the soul's immortality and its journey through cycles of birth, death, and rebirth. The discussion highlights the role of cremation as a symbolic act of releasing the soul from the body, allowing it to continue its spiritual journey. The act of dispersing ashes in sacred rivers like the Ganges is explored, signifying the soul's final detachment from the physical world. The sources emphasize how these rituals, despite appearing harsh, offer a profound understanding of the distinction between the physical body and the eternal soul. This understanding facilitates the process of accepting loss and detaching from the deceased. The conversation also touches upon how the ritualistic experience makes abstract philosophical concepts, like detachment, more tangible. By physically releasing the ashes into flowing water, mourners can grasp the idea of letting go and accepting the natural cycle of life and death. The discussion concludes by examining the message of the "Bhagavad Gita," which reinforces the eternal nature of the soul and the idea that death is a transition rather than an end.