The Importance of Pitra Paksha

Jai Sri Hari dear osme family

In Sanatan dharma a great significance is given to this period. Yes. I am referring to this 16-day long period of Pitra Paksha which started this year on 20th September and will go on until 6th October. Always, just after the pitra paksha comes the Navratris which will start this year on 7th of October. 

Pitra Paksha, also referred to as the period of “shraddh” is that time of the year when it is said in Sanatan Dharma that pitris or our deceased ancestors come and visit us. They come to us for salvation.

Pitris are those disembodied souls of our ancestors who could not advance to the higher realms of existence after their death. They come to us in whatever form and energy that might be and in our culture it becomes the duty to help them achieve liberation.

They may come as spirits to live in our homes, or perhaps a beggar in the street and for their happiness, during this period we should do certain things and abstain from others.

Generally, all auspicious things are avoided during pitra paksha. But things like donating food for say, kheer to the needy and hungry satisfies our pitris and helps them in their transit to the higher worlds.

Basically, good deeds to the maximum possible should be done in this period in order to mark respect and honor our ancestors, for we are here in this world, alive only because we had a long lineage from which we have come into existence.

I have a question for you all to ponder now…

Tell me what is your assumption of the count of the number of direct ancestors you had in the last four hundred years? I am asking you to give a rough count of your ancestors starting from your father and mother, then your paternal and maternal grandparents, then their parents and so and so forth whoever was born in your family in the last four hundred years?

What is your approximate count?

four hundred..

six hundred…?

one thousand?

No.

In the last four hundred years, you had four thousand and ninety four direct ancestors excluding brothers and sisters of your parents or your grandparents or anyone in the direct lineage before them. These many people had to come together in order for you to take birth.

Have you ever wondered that so many people before you, your ancestors had all tasted life before you. They had all gone through what life imparts to everyone-joys, sorrows, setbacks, heartbreaks, losses, gains and other such struggles and toil.

So, pitra paksha is a time of remembering the people whose genes function in your body and whose blood runs in your veins. It is time to be grateful towards your ancestors and also helping their souls in their spiritual journey by doing spiritual acts.

Many people specifically do “tarpan” for the pitris to quench their souls during the pitra paksh. There are also two sets of beliefs in this regard. Some believe that if your parents are alive, you cannot do tarpan and its their duty to do it. And some believe anyone can do tarpan for the pitris.

We benefit by doing tarpan because when seen in another light, pitris are nothing but our genes, our innate traits and vasana-samskaras. If we pacify the pitris, we pacify our own degrading traits and vasana-samskaras and that is why doing tarpan to the pitris is recommended.

You can learn more about what to do and what not to do during pitra paksha from the internet.