Mahalaya Paksha is a sacred time to remember and honor our late ancestors. It falls in the waning lunar fortnight or Krishna Paksha during Bhadrapada/Ashwini (September/October) month in the Hindu calendar. During this time, Hindus pay homage to their Pitrus or ancestral spirits. So it is also called pitru paksha or the Ancestor Fortnight. The last day of Mahalaya Paksha is a new moon day, and it is called the “Mahalaya Paksha Amavasya.”
The belief is that Pitrus or ancestral souls visit the earth during this time in subtle bodies and seek attention from us. Hence, it is a very important period to connect with them and get their blessings. So people appease them by performing rituals like Shraddh and Tarpanam.
Today, most people forget even their parents a few years after their death. But we must remember that our ancestors, as well as our parents, have contributed to our existence. We get many physical and mental attributes from them.
Every Hindu has to repay five types of debts (pancha maha yajnas) during his/her lifetime. One of them is Pitru Yajna, the debt to ancestors. To repay this debt, we have to remember them and perform certain rituals to appease them.
Hindus have to perform a ritual called Tarpanam for our deceased parents annually on the lunar day and month on which they died. But people with busy lifestyles often forget these days. Such people can do the ritual on Mahalaya Amavasya and compensate.
The World of Pitrus
Three of our preceding generations supposedly dwell briefly in a place called pitru–loka (the world of the manes). This is a subtle realm between heaven and earth, and Yama, the god of death, is its ruler. It is Yama who leads the jivatma (embodied soul) from bhu loka (earth) to pitru–loka.
The belief is that bathing in holy rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Cauvery, etc., and doing charity bring many blessings during this period.
When Pitru Paksha begins, the Sun enters Libra. At this time, the spirits supposedly leave pitru–loka and come to earth to dwell in the homes of their descendants for one month until the Sun enters Scorpio on full moon day.
We must propitiate our ancestors during the dark fortnight or the first half of the month, for this is when they are very close to us. After that, they will leave for other worlds, so if we do something for them at this time, they will be happy and will bless us. Ancestral blessings can bring immense good fortune in all aspects of life.
By doing the rituals, we can satisfy them and help them to continue their journey onwards and attain Moksha. These rituals also help expiate the wrongs we did to them.
Shraddh and Tarpanam
The offerings made to the ancestors during Mahalaya Paksha are called shraddh. Only the 3 generations before us who are still in pitru–loka will benefit from them as the others have left for other worlds and may have been reborn, too.
They usually consist of “pinda”, a ball made of cooked rice mixed with til or sesame seeds. One ball each is made for every ancestor we can remember. It starts with our parents and goes back three generations. Maja
We can also keep pindas for ancestors whose names we cannot remember. Finally, we can keep “pindas” for people who have no kith or kin to remember them or perform such rites for them. Water must be poured on top of each “pinda.” This is called “Tarpanam.” Some make “kheer” and offer it and others make the favorite food of the departed soul. But the main offerings comprise the rice/til balls, water, and kusa grass (a kind of grass) on which the pindas are kept.
The belief is that departed souls come in the form of crows and peck at the food. If crows or ravens come and peck at the rice, it means that the ancestors are pleased with us.
Doing the “Shraddh” ceremony is good not only for the departed souls but also for the people who do the rituals. It brings many blessings from them.
On Mahalaya Amavasya day, the pitrus return to Pitru Loka. We should honor and appease them before they leave.
During this period, we should also beg forgiveness for any sins of omission or commission that we did to them. Mahalaya Tarpanam ritual functions as an act of repentance that will prevent “pitru dosha” or ancestral curses.
A Time to Do Charity
During Mahalaya Paksha, we must do acts of charity like donating food, etc., to poor people, especially on Amavasya day. This will help us repay the debts we owe to our ancestors and other people. Relations of the deceased, including son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great-grandson, wife, daughter’s son, brothers, or anyone in the 7 generations, can do Shraddh for the departed ancestors. Donating food during this period is the greatest charity.
One should avoid auspicious activities like marriages or celebrations during this period. By observing Mahalaya Tarpanam, we can enjoy a happy, healthy, and peaceful life with the help of ancestral blessings.
