Pitru Pooja - some thoughts to contemplate

All are born to die. But we surely do not know where we go after death. The jeevan gets a bandhana with a body when it is born and leaves the body in right time releasing itself from the bandhana. Is it freed completely? A million dollar question to answer.

Our Hindu faith says that we all go to Pitru Loka after our death. When we are in Pitru Loka someone should feed us. Who else other than our own son to support us in getting our food? The hindu faith calls this as Pitru Pooja or Shrardham.

Since this has to be done with utmost care – shradha we call it as shrardham. If we do it with care, Pitrus – ancestors will be happy and bless us. This blessing directly goes to our children. If we deny them the food, they feel sad that their son is not having time or money to spare to help them with food. This sad feeling will certainly hurt the son and his children. So our Dharma advises everyone to feed the departed soul with food.

Well, how this can be done? It is clearly explained in the old scriptures and is being followed generations after generation by our ancestors.

Now let us see how this can be done. One year for us is considered as one day for them. So every year when the solar month and thithi comes on which day our parents died, we should perform this shrardham.  

(Note: Birthday is celebrated when the birth star repeats every year in the concerned solar month. Birth star is associated with Longevity. Hence Birthday must be celebrated on the day when the star appears every year on the solar month of birth. Thithi represents relationship. Hence shrardham should be performed on the Thithi day every year)

All persons who are capable of performing this ceremony should do it without fail. This has got some rituals and steps to be followed. This involves a homam, Pinda Dhanam and feeding brahmanas and offering them money, dress etc. This detailed shrardham is called “Parvana Shrardham”.

For people who have some inconvenience to perform a full shrardham due to ill health etc., another method is suggested. This is called “Sankalpa Shrardham”. This involves only feeding the bramhanas and donating them with money, dresses etc.

In case even if this is not possible, one can do “Aama Shrardham”. This involves in giving all materials for cooking to the bramhanas with Dakshinai.

Even if this is not possible one can give money alone that is equivalent to four times the actual expense if one does it at home with all rituals along with banana and rice which is called “Hiranya Shrardham”.

For poor people who cannot afford anything said above, they can do it with black gingili seed and water.

Now let us see how this food offered goes to Pitrus and others.

When you do homams, all Indrathi devas become happy.

If you feed the bramhanas who have learnt Vedas, all people in Swarga Loka become happy.

When we perform Pindapradhanam (at the end of shrardham we keep a pindam chanting certain mantras), all people at Yama Loka become happy.

When we spread the food in front of brahmanas who eat the food chanting certain  mantras it is called vikiram and on performing this all people who live in hell become happy.

The leftover food by the bramhanas makes atmas living in paisasa world happy.

If we feed many people with food on that thithi day all asuras become happy.

By gifting money the people in buloka get happiness.

This is what our Dharma sastras say.

All those who read this are requested to perform this ceremony without fail and make all happy. When everyone become happy they bless the person who performs it. The blessings will help our children’s health and growth.