Antyeshti (literally "last sacrifice") is the final samskara, treating cremation itself as the body's concluding offering to Agni. The body is bathed, wrapped, and carried to the cremation ground, where the chief mourner — traditionally the eldest son — circumambulates the pyre and lights it, later performing kapala kriya and collecting the ashes (asthi) for immersion (visarjan) in a sacred river such as the Ganga. A mourning period, commonly thirteen days in North Indian tradition, follows, with rites including pinda daan (rice-ball offerings) that nourish the departed soul's journey, concluding with the shraddha ceremonies; annual shraddha and Pitru Paksha observances continue to honor the ancestor. Infants and sannyasis (renunciates) are customarily buried rather than cremated, and practices vary across communities.