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Why Hindu Saints And Holy Men Are Buried And Not Cremated?

The traditional practice in Hinduism is to cremate the body of a dead person. But the dead body of holy men, saints and children below the age of three are buried. In many Hindu communities, the body of a holy person is buried in the Padmasana Posture (Lotus Position). So why are Hindu holy men and saints buried and not cremated which is the usual practice in Hindu religion.


Hindus generally cremate their dead. But there are exceptions: the dead bodies of saints, holy men and children are buried. These practices are based on two related and fundamental tenets of Hinduism — the belief in the transmigration of the soul and reincarnation.

The Bhagavad Gita says: “Just as old clothes are cast off and new one worn, the soul leaves the body after death and enters a new one.” Hindus believe that burning the body, and, hence, destroying it, helps the departed soul get over any residual attachment it may have developed for the deceased person.  

Holy men and saints, however, are buried in the lotus position (padmasana) as they are believed to have attained — through piety, penance, rigorous spiritual training, or through good deeds done in previous lives — a level of detachment that makes cremation redundant. 

Children, on the other hand, are buried as the soul has not stayed in the body long enough to develop any attachment.