Q: Is there any importance/significance of the rituals/rites performed after death of the body? Does this have any bearing on astral life and rebirth? If one were to be cremated after death without any rituals/rites/mantra recitation, will that have any effect on the liberation of the soul from the body and after-death events? Please throw light on this. Pranam at your Lotus feet. Gurumaa Answer: Are you talking about yourself or are you talking about someone who is related to you? Thats a bigger question, if you are talking about yourself then answer will be different and if you are talking about someone with whom you are attached, then my answer is going to be absolutely different. Rituals do have some effect & that is for certain people. And for certain people, these rites dont matter at all. Those people, who have achieved, attained super consciousness, supra awareness, for them, no rites, no rituals are required. Whether you burn their body or throw it to fishes in Ganges or whether you bury it in the earth, it doesnt make any difference. But for an ordinary man, lot of difference because those who cannot come out of their attachment in body, do you think so they can come out of their attachment when the body has been dropped. Well, for such stuck up individuals, rites are very important. Actually all the family members are saying go, go, leave, run away, dont stick here you have nothing to do & we have nothing to do with you. Actually all of these rites are meant for that one purpose.