When should we collect the ashes (asthi-sañcayana) after cremation?

usually on the 3rd day, though many families collect them the next day or as the crematorium allows.

Asthi-sañcayana means gathering the bones and ashes. Many texts and families place it on the 3rd day after cremation; others do it on the 2nd, 4th or even the same day, depending on region and on when the pyre has cooled. In electric crematoriums the staff usually hand over the ashes in an urn a few hours later or the next day.

Traditionally the kartā and close relatives go with the priest, sprinkle milk and water on the cooled pyre, and pick out small pieces of bone with tongs or the left hand, placing them in an earthen pot or cloth bag. The rest of the ash is often gathered for the river or buried.

Keep the ashes in a clean, quiet place — commonly outside the main living area, sometimes hung from a tree or kept in a shed — until immersion. There is no need to rush immersion in a panic; it can wait for the right trip.

Source: Garuḍa Purāṇa; regional custom

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