Air India Crash: What Hindu Scripture Says About the Souls of the Victims

June 2025 – Ahmedabad, India: As India mourns the devastating crash of Air India Flight AI171, which claimed 241 lives, many families are now faced not only with grief but with urgent spiritual duties. In Hindu tradition, when death comes suddenly or violently—as in plane crashes, accidents, or natural disasters—scripture calls for a special ritual: Narayana Bali.

What Is Narayana Bali?

Narayana Bali is a sacred Hindu funeral ritual prescribed in the Garuda Purana to help souls who have died an apamrityu—an unnatural death. These include deaths from accidents, drowning, murder, suicide, lightning strikes, and other unexpected tragedies.

Why Is It Performed?

According to Hindu theology, sudden or violent deaths can leave the soul restless or trapped between realms. The Garuda Purana teaches that without proper rites, these souls may be unable to move on peacefully. Narayana Bali is performed to invoke Lord Vishnu in his compassionate form and guide the soul safely onward through ritual offerings and mantras.

How Is Narayana Bali Performed?

This ritual is traditionally performed at the Trimbakeshwar Temple in Maharashtra—a sacred Shiva temple with experienced priests trained in ancestral rites. The full ceremony typically lasts three days.

• An artificial body is formed using wheat flour.
• Mantras are recited to invoke the soul into this flour body.
• Pindas (rice balls) are offered to nourish and honor the departed.
• Lord Vishnu and Yamaraj (the God of Death) are invoked through sacred murtis.
• At the end, the artificial body is ceremonially cremated to release the soul.

Additional offerings like tilodaka (sesame water) and tarpana (libations to ancestors) may also be performed. The entire process is deeply rooted in the dharmic goal of ensuring the soul’s smooth passage into the afterlife.

Scriptural References from the Garuda Purana

These verses from the Preta Khanda of the Garuda Purana explain the importance of Narayana Bali:

“The Narayana Bali rites is performed in all cases of abnormal death… fall from a mountain, tree or any height… who are drowned in a tank, river or ocean… murder… struck by lightning…”
(Garuda Purana, Preta Khanda, Chapter 40, Verses 4–12)

“When a person dies unnaturally he is stuck between two worlds and he cannot transmigrate to another body.”
(Garuda Purana, Preta Khanda, Chapter 23, Verses 13–15)

“Except for the Narayana Bali, there is no rite for their purification.”
(Garuda Purana, Preta Khanda, Chapter 4, Verses 110–116)

“If the Narayana Bali is to be performed for the atonement of bad death, it should be done on the eleventh day.”
(Garuda Purana, Preta Khanda, Chapter 5, Verse 39)

Why It Matters After the Air India Crash

The tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, which killed 241 people, is the kind of disaster that calls for deep spiritual attention in Hinduism. In cases of sudden death, rites like Narayana Bali are believed to provide peace and spiritual liberation to the departed.

For families of the victims, these ceremonies not only honor the dead but offer comfort in knowing that their loved ones are being cared for spiritually, in accordance with ancient dharmic tradition.

Conclusion

In moments of national tragedy, Hinduism offers not only prayer but ritual action rooted in sacred texts. Narayana Bali is one such rite—an act of compassion, responsibility, and reverence for the departed soul. As India continues to grieve the loss of those aboard Flight AI171, may the knowledge of these timeless practices bring some light to those navigating the darkness of loss.