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| Pitru Paksha |
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| Pitru Paksha |
Hindus are bound by their Dharma, or religion, to wish for the souls of their ancestors. It’s a debt they need to pay to remain happy. During Pitru Paksha or Shraadh, a 16-lunar-day period within the Hindu calendar which starts this year on September 1, people offer prayers, food and water to their ancestors.
Hindus believe that the departed wander during a realm between heaven and earth (‘Pitru Lok’). Here, they're restless and still attached to worldliness (‘Maya’). The prayers and ritual offerings during Pitru Paksha free the souls and help them transition towards ‘Brahmaloka’ or heaven.
Pitru Paksha timeline
2008
UNESCO inscribes the Day of the Dead
Like Pitru Paksha, on the Day of the Dead, people pray for his or her ancestors. In 2008, this tradition was inscribed within the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
1877
worship is signified by a scholar
Spencer , English philosopher-scientist, wrote in 'Principles of Sociology' that worship was the basis of each religion.
AD 1624–74
Gai Jatra
Gai Jatra, the Nepalese festival that commemorates the death of the people during the year, was started by King Pratap Malla to point out his grieving wife that she alone had not lost a son.
6000 - 1000 BCE
Earliest evidence of worship
Evidence of the earliest sort of worship was found in China within the Yangshao society, which existed within the Shaanxi Province area.
3138 BCE
The story behind Pitru Paksha
When Karna ( a warrior during the days of the Mahabharata) dies, his soul is served foods made from gold and silver. His hungry soul learns that this is often thanks to his karma. While Karna was alive, he donated gold and silver but no food. His soul prays and returns to earth to donate food for a far better afterlife.
How to Observe Pitru Paksha
Remember your ancestors with rituals
Consult a Hindu priest or a family elder to find out the special rituals. Foods offered contains rice, black sesame seeds and barley flour balls (Pindaas) along side water.
Help those less fortunate
It's believed that in Pitru Paksha, feeding and caring for anyone in need generates good karma that helps bring peace to the departed. What an excellent thanks to do your part!
Teach your children well
While you explain the importance of Pitru Paksha to your children, tell them that an honest Hindu is respectful and loving to their parents, grandparents and elders. Remind your children that there are blessings in obedience.
5 Ways to urge A Karmic Boost Learning About Pitru Paksha
this is often an inauspicious period
This 16-day period is taken into account an unfavorable time to start out a replacement venture, marry , buy a house or a car.
Offer as how to receive
those that don't offer food and water to their ancestors during Pitru Paksha will receive none in their afterlife.
It washes away sins
Pitru Paksha is additionally the time a Hindu can wash the sins inherited from his ancestors by performing the rituals and making offerings.
Feeding crows — an honest omen
A crow eating the offerings is taken into account an honest sign because crows are believed to be representatives of the God of Death, Yama. it had been performed only by men Traditionally, Pitru Paksha was performed only by men, particularly sons, but times have changed. In families where there are not any sons, daughters can perform the rituals instead.
Why Pitru Paksha is vital
Hindus believe it grants peace to their ancestors consistent with the holy writings of the Gita and therefore the Vedas, offerings made to the departed during Pitru Paksha bring peace to their souls and helps them reach their divine destination.
It reaffirms the Hindu faith in an afterlife
Death isn't the top — it merely punctuates the cycle of birth and rebirths and Pitru Paksha marks the top of one's human body . For the soul, what follows may be a journey determined by each person's individual karma, which was earned during their lifetime.
It connects past and present generations
The Hindus believe that there are strong karmic ties between previous, current and future unborn generations. We are indebted to our ancestors. once we honor them by praying for his or her souls, we earn their blessings.
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