Is experience of dying very painful?

Question

Is dying very painful experience ?

Is the experience of dying most painful experience mentally/physically for a person ?

Answer 1

Yes, it's said to be painful-

1. Quoting from The Garuda Purana (abridged)

Death And After

Continuing with his narration, Lord Krishna said–” O Garuda! Death comes at the predetermined time, which remains fixed and unaltered under all circumstances. A man’s sense organs become weak and his body feeble, which gets inflicted with numerous diseases in his old age. At the time of his death, man experiences unbearable pain and he begins to loose his consciousness. Yamdoots arrive and begin to retrieve the soul from the body and this aggravates the pain. Ultimately, the soul, which is not more than the size of a thumb, reluctantly comes out from the body as the attachment with the world exists even after his death. But, a virtuous person does not go through all these painful experiences at the time of his death. The soul has to take birth in different species as well as go through cycles of countless births, deaths and rebirths in order to taste the fruits of his Karmas.

So, as death approaches, a man experience unbearable pain, which is only aggravated when the Yama's assistants snatch away the 'life force' from the dying body.

2. The Padma Purāṇa

Chapter 15 - The Death of Sinners

Somaśarman said:

1. O good and beautiful lady, tell me, if you know it, in detail, what characteristics appear at the death of sinners.

Sumanā said:

2. to 4a. O my dear husband, listen; I shall tell you what I learnt from the Siddha about the death of the sinners and what its marks are. I (shall) also tell you about the place and actions of great sinners. A very wicked man reaches a region which is inauspicious due to its being impure on account of excretion and urine; and has a painful death.

3. b. to 7a. That (wicked man) being afflicted, reaches the land of a cāṇḍāla, or a land roamed over by donkeys or resorts to a prostitute’s house, and dies in a painful condition; (or) he dies after having gone to the house of a seller of spirituous liquors which is full of bones, skins and nails, and full of evils and blemishes. Having reached that (place) the wicked one surely dies; (or) having reached some other place with evil practices, he dies.

......

6. b. to 21a. Due to obstruction caused by excessive phlegm they produce affliction. Due to servere pains his throat snorts. He weeps and trembles very much. He repeatedly remembers his mother, father, brother and wife. Being deluded by great sin he again forgets them. His life, full of many afflictions, does not depart. He falls, trembles and swoons again and again. The deluded one, thus full of suffering, experiences grief. O my dear husband, listen. His life going (out) with great grief and pain, resorts to his anus and pass out (through it).

So, specifically for sinners, the experience of death may be extremely painful & horrid, depending upon their sinful past karmas.

Answer 2

Yes, experience of dying is very painful according to Sanatani Sashtras.

katame rudrā́ iti. daśeme puruṣe prā́ṇā́ḥ ā́tmaikā́daśaḥ; te yadā́smā́t śarīrā́nmartyā́d utkrā́manti, atha rodayanti, tad yad rodayanti, tasmā́d rudrā́ iti. ( Brihadaranyaka Upanishad III-9-4)

Meaning: “Who are the Rudras?” "The ten Pranas and the Atman make eleven. These are the Rudras.” When the pranas and the atman leave the body, they make one cry in anguish. that's why they are called "Rudras”

I hope this clarifies your queries.