Pitru Paksha Evam Shraddha

What Does Pitru Paksha Stand For?

The notion of Pitru Paksha Shraddha or Shradh derives from the religious ritual conducted for the period of 16- lunar days in which the participants commemorate their forefathers, paying them homage through food offerings.

This sort of religious conduct has been in practice in the Hindu religion for a long time past and is considered one of the most essential yet compulsory rituals to follow for the pacification of the soul of the deceased ancestors. That is the ritual known as Shraddha dedicated to the deceased family tree and such period of religious conduct is known as Pitru Paksha.

What Is The Significance Of Conducting Pitru Paksha Shraddha?

In the Hindu religion, as long as the period of Pitru paksha continues, the peril of occurring untoward incidents in the life of people lingers, especially becoming a more palpable danger when the ritual of Pitru paksha is not conducted.

Therefore, the significance of Pitru paksha is quite immense, given how it helps someone to ward off the ancestral curse falling upon their family, ruining its peace and happiness for good.

Moreover, the period of Pitru paksha is seen as a bringer of bad luck and misfortune. This is why it is considered inauspicious because if the death rite or Shraddha is not performed as deemed necessary, the ancestral curse will fall upon the life of the defaulter. This is what makes the ritual self-explanatory, as to why it is necessary to perform to remove the ancestral curse from your life.

How Do Mythological Books Support The Pitru Paksha Ritual?

According to the Garuda Purana, the departed ancestors have divine powers similar to gods. Therefore, they can bring forth fortune or misfortune in your life based on the nature of your deed, just like God does. If they are pleased through religious conduct, success and fame will happen in your life.

On the contrary, if they are displeased due to your insubordination or blasphemy, your life will get difficult. Therefore, Pitru paksha Shraddha is one of the most credible remedial solutions to putting an end to your domestic plight, as you happen to please your ancestors through the death rite.

What Is The Legend Behind Pitru Paksha Shraddha?

According to the epic Mahabharata, the soul of the deceased Karna in the Mahabharata war transcended to heaven. However, even though he received heaven after death, he remained hungry as whatever food he touched turned gold right away. Seeing this, Karna and his father, Surya, went to Indra, the lord of gods, and asked him about the reason behind Karna’s plight.

At this, Lord Indra reasoned that the plight of Karna is the result of his donating gold and nothing else in his past life. Had he donated food to his ancestors by conducting Pitru paksha Shraddha, his fate in heaven would have been entirely different from what he is going through at the moment. As Karna is still accursed with ancestral displeasure, he will remain hungry.

Later, lord Indra suggested a remedy for the situation with Karna, granting him to go back to his past birth for 15 days and perform Shraddha for his ancestors Kuru and donate food and water in their remembrance.

Conclusion

The religious ritual of Pitru paksha Shraddha is deemed necessary for everyone to pay tribute to their deceased forefathers, donate food and water in their memory, avoid ancestral curses and experience a life blessed with peace, happiness, and prosperity.

Also Read:
Importance Of Shraddha and JivitPutrika Vrat