Question: At funerals, do flowers help the soul of the deceased person?

Sri Chinmoy: Definitely they help — not only the soul but also the physical and vital of the person. The soul gets extra joy when there are flowers, and the physical and vital get added purity. Also, unfortunately, when some people come to visit the body, they come in a very low consciousness. At that time, the reality of the person who has passed away is the soul. Previously the soul was inside the body, where it was well protected. It was like a bird inside the cage. Now the soul is outside the body, but it has not yet left the earthly arena; it has not gone back to the soul’s world. The soul-bird is outside the cage, and when it sees undivine people, sometimes the soul gets frightened. So flowers, incense and so forth can diminish the undivine qualities of some of those who approach the body.