Pitrupaksha
2020 – the 2nd Online Travel Varanasi
Pitrupaksha2020
started from September 2 and continue
till September 17. The ancestors' shraddha and tarpan have special
significance. It is said that from Pitar Dev Swargalok, the people of the
earth come to visit their ancestors. It is said that a person who does not
offer sacrifices or shraadh of ancestors, he has to face Pitru Dosh. This
defect causes many kinds of difficulties in life. Therefore, in order to
please the fathers, it is forbidden to do certain activities in the
Pitrupaksha.
PITRU
LOKA
The
Sanskrit word ‘pitr’ becomes ‘pita’ in the singular and ‘pitarah’ in
the plural; the former means ‘father’, the latter is used ishan several senses
like forefathers or ancestors occupying their own world called Pitruloka.
The most common meaning as used in Shraaddhas is three
generations of ancestor’s viz. father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
In
Hinduism, the pitrus (forefathers or manes) are always
respected. Normally, once a year at least, the descendents are expected to pay
homage to them through religious rites known as ‘Shraaddh’. It is
believed that even as the descendents are eager to appease their forefathers,
the pitrus too are eager to receive such appeasement. The
Markandeya Purana describes such instances of eagerness on the part of
the pitrus to get good food (in the Shraaddhas),
to receive oblations of water during Tarpans and to get
a Shraaddha performed at holy places like Gaya. For these acts
of offering them food etc. they, in turn, bless their descendents and are
pleased if they become Vedic scholars and devotees of Vishnu. It is believed
that during the performance of shraaddhas these pitrus accept
the offerings by assuming the form of birds or by entering into the
invitee brahmanas through their subtle bodies.
In
this context the following verse from the Bhagavad Gita where Arjuna laments
about the ancestors losing their status on account of their being deprived of
offerings to them is relevant.
sankaro
narakaayaiva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha
patanti
pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodaka kriyaah // 1.42 //
Admixture
of castes leads the family and the slayers of the family to hell because the
spirits of their ancestors fall, deprived of the offerings of rice and water.
We
find from the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita that the ancient Hindus believed
in two paths by which the soul of a departed person could go either to
the Brahma loka or to the Chandra loka. The former
is called Devayana and the latter is known as pitruyana.
The Rig Veda (10.14.2 and 7) mentions the pitruloka as a place
where one’s departed ancestors live. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (6.2.16)
considers Pitruloka as a station on the path of Pitruyana (the
path of manes).
TARPAN
The
word ‘tarpana’ means satiating or satisfying. It implies the rites
relating to satisfying the departed souls particularly one’s forefathers. It
consists of standing in water after bathing in a river or tank and offering
water thrice taking it in the joined palms of hand, with appropriate mantras to
all beings of creation from Brahma down to the blade of grass. Manusmriti
(2.176) says that Tarpan to devas, pitrus and rishis is
a compulsory part of the daily routine of every brahmacharin. The
water may be mixed with gingelly seeds (til). Tarpana is said to
satiate the gods, manes and sages to whom it is offered.
SHRAADDH
Hinduism
considers death as a transition from one life to another. It believes that the
disembodied soul badly needs help and succor from its descendents, not only
during the period following the death of the physical body but also during its
journey to the other worlds. It is here that come the role of the various rites
performed immediately after death and also other rites that are repeated every
month for a year or even every year thereafter. These rites generally go by the
name ‘shraaddh’; the literature on the subject of shraaddh is
enormous.
The
word ‘shraaddh’ is generally taken to mean after-death rites
and subsequent ceremonies. ‘Shraaddh’ is performed by a
competent descendent of the deceased ancestors with shraddha or
faith. It is done for the benefit of three generations of ancestors viz.
father, grandfather and great-grandfather. It has to be performed at the
appropriate time (afternoon or aparahna) and place (preferably holy
places like Gaya, Prabhasa, Prayag, Varanasi, Ujjain, Kurukhetra, Badrinath
etc.) as determined by the sastras and family traditions. It
may be accomplished by giving either cooked food or uncooked articles of food
or gold or money to worthy brahmanas. Generally for the majority of
the people pinda daana – offering cooked rice-balls to
the pitrus is very important in this ritual. The entire ritual
is then dedicated to Lord Narayana with a prayer for forgiveness for the faults
that might have unknowingly crept in.
The
original concept of performing the ritual of Shrāddha was conceived
by Sage Atri, the son of Lord Brahma. Sage Atri narrated the ritual of Shrāddha, as
laid down by Lord Brahma to Nimi, one of His descendants. This established
ritual has continued till today. Manu was the first one to perform the ritual
of Shrāddha. Hence he is called the deity of Shrāddha.
According
to Ramayan when Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lakshmana were staying in the
forest, Bharat met and appraised them about the death of their father. After
hearing this sad news Lord Ram performed the ritual of Shrāddh for
his deceased father.
Pinda
Daana
Pindapradaana or simply pinda daana occupies an important place in the post-death
ceremonies. Pindas are
rice-balls prepared by mixing cooked rice with other articles of food left over
in the cooking vessels after the invitee brahmanas have been fed. Three such balls are made which
are kept on the ground on a banana leaf or a dried leaf covered with darbha or kusha grass and til and
offered to the three generations of pitrus (who are believed to accept them by assuming the form of birds
(crows) or animals such as cows or through water in the flowing rivers like
Ganga or sacred tanks and lakes like Pushkar or brahmakund at Kurukshetra or brahmakapal at Badrinath).
Ramesh
Verma Cmd – the 2nd Online Travel
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