What do all Indians want after they die? They want moksha, not heaven. Moksha is the Hindu concept of liberation from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. You become one with yourself or the Atman when you give up all materialistic pleasures. In spite of the fact that moksha or true liberation can be attained while alive, it is believed that attaining it on one’s deathbed liberates one from the cycle of life-and-death, and ensures that the soul is free for eternity.
Moksha is a desire for many Indians. In India, holy cities such as Varanasi are crowded with devotees asking priests to release them from their sins by taking a dip in the Ganges. The Mukti Bhavan – appropriately named – gives people just that. Liberation from their lives and a promise of Moksha. Mukti Bhavan attracts thousands of visitors a year, despite its absurd appearance. In summers, the number of visitors decreases, as more people die in winters. The home has a reputation for helping the ravaged and lost find final liberation. There are priests at the residence who perform rituals and rites that aid the dying in departing from this world in peace.
The house is not a place where people go to commit suicide. It is not even a place where mercy killings occur. Only those on their deathbeds are allowed in. It is possible that they are ill due to a disease or they ‘feel they will die’, and they can stay at home. At Mukti Bhavan, hale and hearty people are not allowed. People who are on their death-bed can check-in to Mukti Bhavan and stay there for 2 weeks.
A person must leave Mukti Bhavan if he or she does not die within two weeks and give their room to someone else. Mukti Bhavan has 12 rooms along with a small temple and a priest and is fully equipped for guests. Many old people visit and stay at the hostel. Over the last 44 years, Bhairav Nath Shukla has been in charge of praying for the salvation of these dying souls. His family members have been used to people dying in their hostel where he lives with his family.
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It is mostly those without family or friends who come to Mukti Bhavan to die, but it has also seen its share of deaths. Kashi is very similar to the ancient Indian concept of going to Kashi after living the Grihastashrama and Vanaprastha. When people said they were going to Kashi, it was assumed they would not return, that they would spend the rest of their lives there and die there in hopes of moksha.
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