‘Pitru Paksha’ - Remembering your Ancestors

‘Pitru Paksha’ - Remembering your Ancestors
Significance of Pitrupaksha

People in Hinduism firmly believe that they are bound by their Dharma. Praying for the departed souls of the ancestors is one very important part of Hindu culture. Some certain rituals and norms are followed for praying for the souls of ancestors, and this is done in the Pitrupaksha period.

Importance of Pitrupaksha has been known in Hinduism for ages now. It is a period when people pay homage to their ancestors by performing some rituals. Hindus believe that life is nothing but a cycle of birth and rebirth and we as humans, are connected to our ancestors, our lineage. So it is believed that if we pay homage to our ancestors and pray for the departed souls, then this helps us in lessening all our burdens in karmic matters. It's like a tradition that has been followed for generations. Pitru Paksha is a 16 lunar day period in the Hindu calendar, when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors, generally through food offerings, prayers, water etc. It is known by some other names as well like, Pitri Paksha/Pitr-Paksha, Pitri Pokkho, Sorah Shraadha, Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya, Apara Paksha and akhadpak, Pitru Pandharavda or pitru paksha.

In the year 2022, Pitru Paksha will start from 10th September 2022 (Saturday) till 25th September 2022 (Sunday).

As per the Brahmpurana, before worshipping the Gods, a man should worship his ancestors, because it is believed that this act of worshipping ancestors pleases the Gods. Because of this reason, the elders are honoured and posthumously worshipped in Indian society, during these times. These offerings are in the form of Shraadh which is to be performed on the tithi (lunar date) of death, falling in Pitru Paksha, and if the tithi is not known, then bhadrapada Amavasya can be worshipped which is also popularly known as Sarvapitri Amavasya or Mahalaya Amavasya. Purpose of shraadh is to remember our ancestors by doing tarpan, pind pradaana and offering food and Dakshina to the Brahmin and needy people. There is a tradition of feeding cows and it is believed it reaches our ancestors.

This pitrupaksha period is considered inauspicious because death rites are performed during this period. People are strictly prohibited from doing any auspicious task during these times like buying a new house or vehicle, doing marriages, mundans etc. It is very important to refrain from buying anything new, no matter how small, because it is an inauspicious period. Besides this, if there is any important task and if it can wait, then one must wait until the pitrupaksha period gets over.

Apart from this, it is also believed that those who have pitra dosha, karmic doshas in their kundali or astrology chart can perform some rituals with genuine and apt guidance, to lessen the effect of it.

While preparing food for the rituals, generally some basic dishes are cooked like rice, dal, pumpkin vegetable or sweet, kheer and chapati. Apart from these, it is advised to cook anything that the ancestors liked. It could be something that they ate very fondly and was their favourite.

It is also considered good to donate during this period, as this helps in paying off the karmic debts if any.

Generally, the shraadh of a person is done on the tithi on which the person dies. For instance, if a person has died on Tritiya tithi, then his/her shraddh will also be done on Tritiya tithi of Pitru Paksha. But if an ancestor's tithi is not known or the tithi is not remembered, then for those cases we perform the rituals on Sarva Pitru Amavasya.

It is believed that not doing Shraadh hurts the spirits of ancestors and resultantly, their souls are not at peace. After the ritual, it is considered that the souls of the ancestors are satisfied and happy, and give blessings for happiness and prosperity in the family.

There are certain other pitrupaksha rules which are to be followed diligently. For instance, men are not supposed to be eating non-veg during this period and are prohibited from consuming alcohol.

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