Shraddha Paksha

The fortnight from Bhadrapada Purnima to Sarva Pitru Amavasya, set aside for shraddha and tarpan — the remembering of ancestors, which is why it is also called Pitru Paksha. Each family's date within it is its own: shraddha is done on the tithi of the paksha that matches the tithi on which the father, or the ancestor being honoured, passed away. The practice is one of gratitude rather than appeasement — til and water offered with the name spoken aloud, food set out for the crow, the cow and the dog, a meal served to a brahman or someone in need. Its fruit is described simply as pitru kripa: the quiet blessing of those who came before.

Next date: 2026-09-27

vidhi

Bathe in the morning, wear clean white or light-coloured clothes, and take the sankalp with the name and gotra of the ancestor whose shraddha falls today.,Sit facing south for the tarpan, with the sacred thread moved to the right shoulder and a ring of kusha grass on the ring finger — south is the direction of the pitrus.,In a copper vessel mix water, black til, a little raw milk, jau and white flowers; pour it out three times over the right thumb's side, speaking the ancestor's name each time with the tarpan mantra.,Cook a simple sattvik meal at home — kheer and puri are traditional — without onion or garlic, and have it ready before aparahna.,Before anyone in the house eats, set out the panchbali: five portions for the cow, the dog, the crow, the devas and the ants, with the crow's share placed on the roof or in the open.,Feed a brahman, or a needy person, with the same respect — seat them, serve them yourself — and give dakshina or a useful daan in the ancestor's name.,In the evening, light a sesame-oil diya on the south side of the house and sit for a few minutes remembering them by name.

katha

When Karna fell at Kurukshetra and rose to the higher world, a strange meal was laid before him: gold, jewels, ornaments — nothing he could eat. He asked why, and was told that this was what he had given in his lifetime. Karna had been the most generous of men, but his charity had always been gold; he had never offered food or water to his ancestors, for he had not known until the very end who his ancestors were. He asked for a chance to repay that debt, and was granted a fortnight on earth. For those days he fed the hungry and offered til and water in his ancestors' names, and when he returned, food was set before him. That fortnight became the Pitru Paksha. The story is told not as a warning but as a definition: what reaches the ancestors is not wealth but food, water and remembrance, offered with their name spoken aloud.

mantra

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samagri

Black til and jau, with a copper lota and thali for the tarpan,Kusha grass — for the pavitri ring and to sit on,Gangajal, raw milk, chandan and white flowers,Ingredients for kheer and puri, or another simple home-cooked sattvik meal,Leaf plates or small bowls for the panchbali portions,A sesame-oil diya, cotton wick and dhoop,Dakshina, and items for daan — grain, clothes, an umbrella, footwear or a water pot

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