Death is an inevitable part of life that all living beings must eventually face. In the Vaishnava tradition, the last rites, or samskara, are a set of rituals that are performed after a person has passed away in order to help the soul detach from the body and progress to a better spiritual platform. The Vaishnava Care Fund (VCF) provides financial assistance to perform these important last rites for senior devotees and disciples of Srila Prabhupada. VCF recognizes the importance of these rituals in facilitating the transition of the soul to the afterlife and seeks to ensure that all devotees have access to the resources they need to perform these rituals in a proper and respectful manner.
The organization provides a range of services to help families and communities perform the last rites for their loved ones. These services include:
- Financial Assistance: The Vaishnava Care Fund provides financial assistance to cover the costs associated with performing the last rites, including priest services, paraphernalia, transportation to the funeral ground, manpower for distributing spiritual books, food for the ceremony, and collecting and organizing remains (ashes) to be added to holy rivers in India.
- Priest Services: The organization works with a network of experienced priests who are trained in the proper performance of the last rites. These priests provide guidance and support to families and communities as they navigate the process of performing the last rites.
- Paraphernalia: VCF also provides the necessary paraphernalia required for the last rites, including items such as incense, sacred/holy water, etc.
- Transportation: The Vaishnava Care Fund also provides transportation services to help families and communities transport the body to the funeral ground.
- Manpower: On a need basis, the organization also provides manpower to distribute spiritual books and other materials to those in attendance at the last rites ceremony.
- Food: The organization also provides food for the last rites ceremony, which is an important part of many cultural and religious traditions.
- Remains Collection: The organization collects and organizes the remains (ashes) to be added to holy rivers in India, which is an important part of the process of the last rite in the Vaishnava tradition.