What prayers can we say for the peace of the departed?

God's name, the Gītā (especially chapters 2 and 15), the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra and Om Śānti.

Any prayer offered with love helps. Some are especially traditional in the days after a death. Many families read the Bhagavad Gītā daily for the 13 days, or at least chapter 2 (on the eternal self) and chapter 15. In some homes the Garuḍa Purāṇa is read aloud by a priest during this time. Others chant the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, the Rāmāyaṇa or Sundarakāṇḍa, Hanumān Cālīsā, or Śiva's Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra.

Simplest of all is God's name: “Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya”, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”, “Hare Rāma Hare Kṛṣṇa” or “Śrī Rāma Jaya Rāma”, chanted on a mālā or sung together as kīrtana. Ending with “Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ” is common in condolence meetings.

Choose what fits your family's sampradāya and what the departed loved. A prayer in your own words — thanking them and wishing them peace in God — is equally precious.

Source: common practice; Garuḍa Purāṇa recitation tradition

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