Note 18 — Chapter IV · WORSHIP OF ANCESTORS AND SAINTS.

The soul is not said to have finally perished unless it merges into the divine self and attains moksha or salvation. The passions and desires of a dying man do not permit his soul ascending beyond a certain stage, where he or she remains as a ghost until the soul is purged of all his or her desires and sins by the performance of funeral ceremonies. For relieving ancestral spirits from the low order of bhuts and pishāchas, shrāddhas are performed by their surviving relatives in such holy places as Prabhās, Gayā and Pindtārak. These ceremonies are known as Nārāyanbali, Nilotsarga and saptāha-pārāyan (recitation of a sacred book for seven consecutive days).18