Don't RIP

When a person dies, “Rest in Peace” is a bad choice. Now, to understand why, one would need to understand what the desert lunacies (where the phrase originates) consider to be the fate of the dead – the dead lie “resting” for a long long time until the day of judgement when they’re revived and judged.

In contrast, hindu-s of most sorts believe that the dead keep moving – through the pitRloka where thrive on our grateful offerings, to svarga/ naraka/ vaikuNTha/ kailaasa etc.. and thence possibly back to earth. When “rest in peace” muttered by the ignorant, those with the “defect” of knowledge can’t but cringe at the effective “post-mortem conversion”.

Better wish: “May he attain sadgati” or “भावपूर्ण श्रद्धाञ्जलि” or “ॐ शान्तिः” instead!

Example:

A young and upcoming archaka gRhastha we knew died. He was a good temple and gRhya ritualist who wouldn’t want to be caught dead (a literal as well as figurative choice of words) being treated as if he belonged to the corpse cult. Some people innocently “RIP”ped him anyway.