Pitru Paksha:
Pitru Paksha is the 16-day period when departed ancestors are remembered and honored by Hindus. In 2020, Pitru Paksha 2020 begins on September 1 and ends on September 17. Certain rituals and a Shraddha ceremony will be performed during this time so that souls of our dead ancestors can attain salvation. Apart from the Yagna and Pitru Dosha Pooja, Pinda Daan will also be performed on this occasion. The most auspicious Tithi to perform the ritual is the one on which the ancestor died. Hindu belief claims that after death, the Pitrus or ancestors cannot take food on their own. It is their descendants who have to feed them. For this, they have to observe Pitru Paksha and perform the rituals dutifully.
The day our ancestor died is the day on which the Pitru Paksha Pooja has to be performed. There is an auspicious time to invoke the ancestors, which is the same for all the 16 days. You can do the Pitru Paksha Pooja at home.
How to Perform the Pitru Paksha Pooja at home:
The Pooja Vidhi is as follows:
Place a wooden stool in the southern direction. Take a white cloth and cover the stool. On the cloth, spread barley seeds and black sesame seeds. Keep a photograph of your ancestor on it. Instead of the photograph, you can also use Kusha grass, as it is believed to have Lord Vishnu particles in it. The next step is to invite the ancestor or ancestors for whom the pooja is held. Call their name (including surname) in this manner, “We, the entire family, invite you to visit our home during this period of Pitru Paksha.”Then take a bronze or copper utensil and fill it with water. To this, add some cow’s milk (raw), sesame seeds, rice, barley, too. Then keep the vessel before the image.
Making the Pinda
Take cooked rice and add honey, milk, and gangajal. Make a ball of this rice mixture and keep it before the ancestor’s image. The rice ball should be placed on a leaf. The ball is called Pinda, and it’s used in the Pinda Daan ritual. After completing the ritual, the rice ball can be offered to a cow. If there is a river nearby, it can be immersed in the river also.
Another method
In case, you cannot perform the abovementioned ritual, there is another method. Take a roti and put a little ghee and jaggery on it. This should be offered to the ancestor by placing it before the ancestor’s image. This can be done every day, and then the roti can be given to a cow. Apart from this pooja, you must also invite a priest to your home and offer him food and new clothes on this day.
Jaggery and Ghee Offering
Yet another offering to ancestors is possible. A cow dung cake should be burnt almost completely, and then some ghee should be poured on it. Then keep a small bit of jaggery on it. If the jaggery piece is fully burnt, we can conclude that the ancestors have consumed it.
By performing the Pitru Paksha Amavasya Pooja, we express our gratitude to our ancestors. It is a way to honor and remember them for all that they have given us. When we perform the Pooja, we will receive their blessings as they will be pleased with us. This will enable us to lead a happy and prosperous life.
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