Pitru Paksham: Honouring Ancestors And Seeking Their Blessings For Future Generations
Pitru Paksham is a period dedicated to remembering and expressing gratitude towards ancestors through rituals, prayers and offerings. The tradition highlights the connection between generations, with families invoking paternal, grand-paternal and great-grand-paternal lineages. Dr S. Ainavolu explains the significance of Pitru karya, Tarpanam and ancestral blessings in Hindu tradition.
Guiding Light: Pitru Paksham | Picture for representation
Pitrus are our ancestors and we owe our existence to our pitrus. When the going is tough, our Pitrus help our journey. As a custom, three generations of elders are invoked for Pitru karya. These are pita, pitamaha, and pra-pitamaha. These respectively translate to paternal, grand-paternal, and great-grand-paternal generations. Fathers’ generation belongs to Vasu gana. Grand parental generation belong to Rudra gana. Great-grand-parent's generation belongs to Aditya gana.
Pitru Paksham is the fortnight before Mahalaya Amavasya, dedicated for offering gratitude to one's elders. We offer our gratitude by remembering them, worshiping them through a simple ritual, and praying for the well-being of our progeny. The fact is, for the performing person’s life and outcomes are almost fixed or over. It is for the NextGen that the person performs these rituals for Pitru paksham, which is full fortnight.
On a monthly Amavasya basis offering of Tarpanas to pitrus is performed by many householders. There is another monthly occasion of “Surya Sankramanam”. This happens mostly around the middle of the English calendar months, when Sun transits. We are supposed to do tarpanas on this day too.
Pitru loka is closer to the Earth realm. Pitrus arrive and help their NextGen in times of need and during testing occasions. Many miracles we observe are attributed to the generous kind of intervening actions of our Pitrus that saves us and also boosts our spirits to carry on in this mundane world. Our life journey gets supported. There shall be help that appears from nowhere and demanding tasks get accomplished.
(Dr. S. Ainavolu is a Mumbai-based teacher. Topic and views are inspired)
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