ਮਿਰਤਕ (mirtak)
Meaning: noun: Corpse.
Quote:
ਜੇ ਮਿਰਤਕ ਕਉ ਚੰਦਨੁ ਚੜਾਵੈ॥ ਉਸ ਤੇ ਕਹਹੁ ਕਵਨ ਫਲ ਪਾਵੈ॥
je mirtak kau chaňdan chaṛaavai.
us te kahahu kavan phal paavai.
If someone anoints a corpse with sandalwood, what can the corpse obtain from it? -Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 1160
Message: Are rituals during cremation necessary?
Does it matter if the body is washed with milk, yoghurt, and honey, etc., or if it is smeared with anything of less value?
Does it matter if the body or the pyre is sprinkled with ghee (clarified butter), or if the casket is decorated with flowers and fragrance or sandalwood?
What good is veneration of a dead body then? Such rituals cannot bring any good or any peace to us or the dead.
It is more important to realise the presence of the Divine in people around us and respect them and serve them when they are alive and around.
Etymology: From Sanskrit mruti (death) and/or mrutk (earth, clay, dust), hence dead.
