Why are corpses cremated in Sanatan Dharma ?

 In our traditional religion cremation is not obligatory, burial can also be given. But there are several reasons behind the burning. Among those reasons I am mentioning three reasons which one is religious, one is social and one is scientific.

Religious  Reasons: According to the traditional religion, the living body is made up of five elements. These five elements are "Kshiti means land, Op means water, Tej means fire, Marut means wind and Byom means sky."

        The body is created by the earth, water moves the body in the form of blood, air gives life in the form of breath, fire gives energy in the form of heat and the sky always gives shelter above the head. 'Bhudevi, Varuna, Agni, Pawan and Devaraja Indra' are the five gods controlled by the five elements. After death the bodies donated by the gods have to be returned to them, that is why we cremate corpses.

       Agni is called the mouth of the gods, so all the sacrifices and offerings of Yajna are surrendered to the gods through Agni. That is why mortal bodies are returned to the gods through fire connection.

Social factors:  The world's population is constantly growing. So if a huge place on earth is reserved for a cemetery, there may be a lack of housing in the future. So maybe people had guessed this possibility a long time ago so the practice of cremation started.

Scientific causes:  There can be various causes of human death. Many deaths are due to contagious diseases. So if the corpse is cremated, all those disease germs are destroyed by fire. This is why the practice of cremation began.