Pitra Paksh 2024

Shraadh Dates – 2024

Note : There might be difference of opinion on certain Tithis and days amongst Pandits.

There is one school of thought that says that a Tithi is determined by the number of hours it has on a particular day. For example if The Poornima tithi starts at 8.30am in the morning of 17th September and ends at 8.30am the next day, this school of thought would put Poornima on 17th as 17th is carrying most number of hours of Poornima tithi.

However there is another school of thought that says that the Tithi is determined by the day where the Sun rises. For example in the above case, Sunis rising in Poornima tithi on 18th morning and not 17th. Therefore this school of thought would put Poornima on 18th September and not 17th.

Core Idea behind observing Shraadhs

Our Religion, our Culture and even the Science now talk about the importance of practicing Gratitude. It is said that if your body is full of Gratitude, it’s ability to fight diseases or adverse conditions is much higher than when it is in sulking or negative mode.

Indian culture makes for respecting and showing gratitude to one and all. From, Sun, Moon, Earth, Water, Fire, Sky, Parents, Grand Parents, Wife or Husband, Children and even animals who help us in our daily lives. Cow worship is also part of that culture.

In the same manner, Pitra Paksha or Pitra Poojan or doing Shraadhs is way of expressing gratitude to our ancestors. We are here on Earth because they were here before. We carry the genes that they had. Our looks, our nature, our intelligence and many other things are influenced by the genes we have inherited from the generations before ours.

Paying homage to ancestors is not only unique to Hindu culture but is also very much a part of Christianity and Islam. Ancestors day is celebrated in many countries and there is this concept of Sadqa e  Jariya in Islam which is an extension of the basic premise of Shraadhs that is – attaining goodwill after one’s life is over.

In Hindu culture, it is said that 3 generations above us reside in what is known as Pitra Lok. This Pitra Lok is supposed to be existing between Earth and Heaven. Shraadhs or Pitra Poojan is done for the 3 generations above ours which is deceased parents ( or relatives of that generation), grand parents and great grand parents.

There is also this concept of ancestors visiting us during the Pitra Paksh and feeling happy to see that we remember them still. In turn, they bless us and their blessings help us run our lives better.

Most Common way of doing the Shraadh

The most common way of doing the Shraadh or Pitra poojan is as following :

1. Offering Pind Daan
2. Doing Tarpan
3. Offering Food to ancestors

Pind refers to balls made of rice floor, wheat, black seasame seeds, honey etc. The composition can vary as per the place, traditions or local culture.

Tarpan – it refers to offering Water to satiate the Pitras or ancestors. It is often mixed with Seasame seeds which have been given great importance in all the Poojas related with Hindu culture.

Offering Food to Ancestors by giving it to Priests, Temples or even needy people.

The food is also given to Cows, Dogs, Crows and Ants. It is also mentioned at many places that our ancestors do visit us in form of crows during the Pitra Paksh. However if one is to look at it carefully, then it is a way of our ancient culture telling us from time immemorial to take care of animals around us.

Giving all kinds of charity to people in need or in temples or to priests is also a recommended way of observing the Shraadhs.

The story of Origin of Pitra Paksha

There are quite a few stories that are associated with Pitra poojan or getting Pitra dosh removed in our ancient texts.

There is this story of Gayasur getting boon from Lord Vishnu that Gaya will become a place that liberates souls from the journey of life and death.

There is also this story of Lord Krishna advising Pandavs to do Pooja for their ancestors at Brahma Kapal in Uttarakhand.

However, specific to the observance of rituals for 16 day Pitra Paksh, there is the story of Karna, the eldest of Pandavs and the most feted warrior of his time.

Karna was a great charity doer. He was famous for giving charity at all the times.

When he died and went to heaven, Karna realised to his dismay that any food that he wanted to eat, turned into gold as soon he touched it. As a result, he became extremely thirsty and hungry.

Lord Indra ( or Lord Yama as mentioned at some places) told him that since Karna never offered food to his ancestors, he was facing this peculiar situation.

Karna told that since he was not aware of his ancestory, he never offered food as an offering to his ancestors.

Karna was then given this 16 days time to come back on Earth and mend the mistake he had done unknowingly.

This 16 day period has from that time, been observed as Pitra Paksh.

Discussing Pitra Dosha

Pitra Dosha arises when because of any reason any soul in our previous generations is in distress/anguish/anger/dissatisfied or restlessness.

This might happen because of either an unnatural death or some very strong wish of the departed soul when alive, not having been fulfilled. It might also be caused by lack of any relevant religious measures that were to be done at the time of the death of the body of the soul in distress. Not doing any further Shraadhs further fuels the anger and the distress.

A soul which is highly dissatisfied or in anger or in anguish may cause obstacles in the lives of its current living family members or generations down the line.

A Pitra dosh or a Matr dosh can be guaged from the horoscope of a person facing problems, one after the another. The remedial measures are advised accordingly.

You can click here to read in detail about Pitra Dosh in a horoscope.

Do’s and Donts for Pitra Paksha

The Do’s are :

1. Meditation
2. Charity
3. Introspection
4. Serving the Old and the Needy
5. Prayers and Temple visits
6. Satsang or reading of Religious texts

The Donts are :

1. Buying new big assets like Car or a house. This is essentially meant to let you focus on the primary task that you should be  doing during the Pitra Paksh i.e. remembering your ancesters and offering prayers and food to them .

2. You are required to live a life of piety. In that sense, non consumption of alcohol, non vegetarian items and keeping celebacy is recommended.

However, it must also be said that in our religion and culture, there are no very strict do’s or donts except the bhaav or the spirit of what one is doing. For example, there are instances of people getting dreams where their ancestors who were very fond of eating meat have appeared and demanded non vegetarian items that they liked most to be served to them. So, the Donts of No non veg, alcohol etc are meant only as a general guideline to follow.

Benefits of doing Shraadhs

Our texts are quite clear in communicating the benefits of doing Shraadhs. A quote from Garud Puran is given below :

Long life, Progeny, Success, Heaven, Fame, Nourishment, Strength, Opulance, Comfort of Animals, Bliss and Happiness, Wealth, Abundance of Food can be obtained by worshipping the pitars ( by performing Shraadh).

While it is true that nothing is impossible if you have the Grace of the Almighty lord and blessings of your elders whether alive or deceased, the Shraadhs should ideally be done Nishkaam ( without desiring anything). The only objective for us in doing Shraadhs should be that our deceased family members remain in bliss wherever they are and if they are facing any problem, they should get out of it. Whether that translates into some benefit for us in our daily lives is immaterial.

Major places to do Shraadh in India

There are many places in our country which have been given special importance for getting Shraadhs done.

The major amongst them is Gaya, which attracts millios of visitors during Pitra Paksh.

Pushkar in Rajasthan also attracts hordes of visitors. It is believed that Lord Ram did the Pitra Poojan for his ancestors there.

Pehowa in Kurukshetra is also quote famous. It is the place where King Puru offered charity for well being of his ancestors.

Frequently Asked Questions