Antam Sanskar

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Antam Sanskar (Gurmukhi: ਅੰਤਮ ਸੰਸਕਾਰ atama sasakāra) refers to the funeral rites in Sikhism. Antam (or Antim) means "final", while sanskar means "rite".^[1]

In Sikhism, death is considered a natural process and God's will or Hukam. To a Sikh, birth and death are closely associated, because they are both part of the cycle of human life of "coming and going" ( ਆਵਣੁ ਜਾਣਾ, Aaavan Jaanaa) which is seen as transient stage towards Liberation ( ਮੋਖੁ ਦੁਆਰੁ, Mokh Du-aar), complete unity with God. Sikhs thus believe in reincarnation. The soul itself is not subject to death. Death is only the progression of the soul on its journey from God, through the created universe and back to God again. In life, a Sikh tries always to constantly remember death so that they may be sufficiently prayerful, detached and righteous to break the cycle of birth and death and return to God.