( by- Lokanath Mishra)
Pitru Paksha holds a great religious significance among Hindus. This 16 days period is purely dedicated to worship ancestors and forefathers. These days are considered to be the most sacred period, when people remember their ancestors and offer them food and water through priest or brahmins. Pitru Paksha is also known as Shraddh Paksha. As per Drik Panchang, Shraddh Paksha is going to start from Bhadrapada Purnima Tithi i.e., September 29, 2023.
Pitru Paksha has an immense significance in Hindu religion. Pitru Paksha is also famous as Shraddh Paksha. These days are dedicated to worship ancestors and forefathers. People offer prayers to their deceased members. People offer food clothes to the brahmins in the name of their forefathers.
It is believed that during Shraddh Paksha, ancestors visits on earth and they receive everything what their families offer to them. These days are considered to be very auspicious to perform Pitru Tarpan, Pind Daan and Shraddh. People call the brahmins at home and offer them sattvik food, clothes and dakshin and in the end they touch the feet of the brahmin and take their blessings. It is also believed that they forefathers receives it through Brahmins.
Hindus residing in abroad particularly in USA should know about the Famous Place For Pind Daan and asthi visarjan in India:-
Pinda daan can be made in your house, in temple, in bay /bank of ponds, river and sea. However there are few important places in India for such pinda daan.
Pind Daan is likewise an obligatory Hindu ritual performed for the departed. Just as Asthi Visarjan is meant to bestow alleviation for the soul of the deceased, Pind Daan also helps the soul in its journey onward to the next stop in its evolution. The Hindu ritual for the deceased works to sever the soul’s attachment from the human body. According to Hindu sacred tradition, the soul suffers from tremendous pain if it does not detach from the material body. Helping the soul achieve peace and comfort is the basic aim of the Hindu religious rituals of Pind Daan and Asthi Visarjan.
In Pind Daan, daan is given through pinds. Along with this, poojas have to be performed in own homes, temples and along the banks of any of the holy rivers or sea in India such as the sacred Ganges River and other prescribed holy rivers and Mahodadhi according to Hindu sacred texts and traditions. Followers of the Hindu religion believe that Mahodadhi and holy rivers in India purify and sanctify the soul of the departed in order for it to achieve moksha or salvation. Through the process of Pind Daan, the soul is aided to achieve the final emancipation from the Hindu cycle of deaths and rebirths or mukti. The deceased person’s atma or spirit is liberated from this expected and ongoing cycle.
After death, the soul initially proceeds to Pretlok where there is lots of suffering. These Hindu rituals for the dearly departed facilitate the transfer of the soul from Pretlok to Pitralok or the place of rest for the soul, as designated by the ancestors. In this next phase, the soul attains peace after existing in the human and material world. Additionally, if the soul does not depart from Pretlok, the lives of the surviving family are also adversely affected. That is why the living members of the family must perform the Hindu religious ritual of Pind Daan so that the soul of their dearly departed loved ones can proceed to Pitralok. By doing so and through the ritual, the lives of the surviving members of the family will be blessed with peace and prosperity. The Hindu mandatory rite of Pind Daan also rests on the belief that the blessings of ancestors are necessary in order for work to be successful.
Pind Daan for Indians living outside India may pose a challenge in terms of distance and time constraints. While they are well aware that they must perform the ritual for the dearly departed as obligated under Hindu sacred texts and traditions, they are not within proximity of the prescribed holy places within India where the ritual must be performed. These prescribed places are as follows:
Allahabad:
Allahabad is a known destination for sacred pilgrimage which any follower of the Hindu religion must visit at least once during a lifetime.
Avantika
Avantika is considered as one of the holy places in India for its Kshipra river which is also known as the Shipra.
Ayodhya
The ancient Indian city of Ayodhya, lying on the banks of the Sarayu river, in the state of Uttar Pradesh is the setting for the Ramayana epic.
Badrinath
Badrinath in the Indian state of Uttarkhand is revered as one of the holiest places in India. Believed to be the holy abode of Lord Vishnu.
Dwarka
Dwarka is located along the banks of the Gomti River. The Gomti Ghat or series of steps leading into the water is one of the most famous place.
Gaya
Gaya, in the Indian state of Bihar, is one of the cities in India that is revered for its religious significance.
Haridwar
In Pind Daan, the Hindu religious homage for the souls of the departed and spirits of ancestors, pind is the symbolic offering in the ritual.
Jagannath Puri ( any places in Puri including the bank of Mahodadhi)
In the Hindu religion, Pind Daan is a way for the soul to attain freedom from the cycle of life and rebirth or what is known as mukti. Pinda daan in Mahodadhi is the best place. All the holy rivers are falling in Mahodadhi, hence pinda daan, ashti Visarjan and shardh are to be conducted in the bay of Mahodadhi / at Swarga Dwara, which is considered as very auspicious and considered as more beneficial for pitruloka.
Kurukshetra
The Sannihit Sarovar, located in Thanesar in the district of Kurukshetra in Haryana, is a water reservoir that is deemed holy.
Mathura
The Sannihit Sarovar, located in Thanesar in the district of Kurukshetra in Haryana, is a water reservoir that is deemed holy.
Pushkar
A holy lake lies in Pushkar. It is world-famous because the sacred body of water is said to have come from the navel of Vishnu.
Siddhpur
The Hindu homage to the departed souls and ancestors known as Pind Daan is typically performed in Siddhpur.
Ujjain
Freedom from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth or mukti is the goal of every soul. The living family has the Hindu religious.
Varanasi/Kashi
In Hindu sacred scriptures, bathing in any of the holy rivers in India is a way to cleanse one of worldly sins and eventually.
Pinda daan and ashtibisarjan:
Few important Places in India for the same:-
1 – Gaya (Preferred Place)
2 – Varanasi/Kashi (Ganga Ghat) (Preferred Place)
3 – Allahabad (Prayag) (Preferred Place)
4 – Haridwar (Preferred Place)
5 – Avantika (Shaktibeah Tirth)
6 – Ayodhya (Bharata Kund)
7 – Badrinath (Brahma Kapal Ghat)
8 – Dwarka (Pindar)
9 – Jagannath Puri (Mahodadhi/Swarga Dwara- most preferred place)
10 – Kurukshetra (Pehowa, Sannihit Sarovar)
11 – Mathura (Vishranti Tirth, Bodhini Tirth, Vayu Tirth)
12 – Pushkar
13 – Siddhpur (Kapilamuni Ashram)
14 – Ujjain.
Few other important places where pinda daan , shradh and Asti visharjan can be conducted:
1. Trimbakeshwar is a very ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and is among the Dwadash Jyotirlings in India.
2. RAJAHMUNDRY – Godavari is also an important site because it is believed that during the auspicious occasion all the gods, goddess, saints and other holy people take dip in the Godavari River. Thus the water is purified and those devotees taking holy dip during the period will be relieved from all sins. The period is also auspicious for performing Shradh and Tarpan for departed souls.
3. Pinda daan on the bank of river Baitarani at the famous Dasaswamedh Ghat of Jaipur, Odisha .
4. It is also auspicious to perform Pitru Shraddh Pinda daan along holy rivers and lakes. Ganga, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu, Cauvery, Krishna, etc and Mahodadhi.
5. Pind daan as per Hindu belief is a ritual to offer homage to the departed soul. Gangasagar is the place at which our holy river Ganga meets in the sea. This place is counted as one of the holiest place in the Hindu religion. Doing any kind of ritual at Gangasagar gives moskha and removes all the sins of the devotees.
Pind daan is done after taking a bath. It is required to wear white holy clothes during shradh karma like traditional dhotis, kurta, etc. Pind daan is done offering rice, jaggery, sweets, etc under the guidance and mantras of brahmins.
6. Gangotri , Yamunotri, Trayugi-Narayan, Mantralaya, Sri Sailam, Arunachala (Thiru-Annamalai), Vriddachalam, Bhavani, Thiruchendur, Kanyakumari, Kodikkarai, Vedaranyam, Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, Navapashanam, Akka-Matam, Thangachi-Matam ,etc.
7. Muktheeswarar Temple, Sethalapathy :-
Rama performed Tharpanam to King Dasaratha here:
Lord Rama performed Last Rites (tarapan , pinda daan and shraddha ) for King Dasaratha at various places ( in Mahodadhi at Puri also) by placing 4 rice balls (called as Pindam). However, to his dismay the pindams turned into worms each time when he performed the ritual. A worried Rama prayed to Lord Shiva, who advised Rama to go to mantharavanam (earlier name of this place) and offer his prayers there. He was also instructed to take bath in the Arasalaru River near there, before performing the Pitru Tharpanam (Last rites to Ancestors).
Rama did as instructed. The four pindams to his amazement became four Lingams. Dasaratha Maharaja thus attained mukthi (salvation) and hence the name of the deity here is Muktheeswarar. Since then, the locals believe that that performing the Pitru Tharpanam here absolves you of all your Pitru Sabams (ancestral curse) and Pitru Doshams (ancestral sins). It is said to be equivalent to that of Kasi and Rameshwaram.
Rama & Lakshmana performed last rites to Jatayu:
As per the Temple history, Lord Rama along with his brother Lakshmana performed Last Rites to the Bird King Jatayu.
Mukthi Kshetram:
The name Thilatharpanpuri came from Thil – Gingelly and Tharpanam means performing Pitru poojas/karmas for the ancestors (a Hindu ritual). The name came from coining these two words. The local story claims that performing the Pitru Tharpanam here absolves you of all your Pitru Sabams (ancestral sins) and Doshams. There are 7 Sthalams for performing these rituals viz. Kasi, Rameswaram, Srivanchiyam, Thiruvengadu, Gaya, Thiriveni Sangamam and Thilatharpanpuri. Performing Tharpanam here on Amavasya day is considered special. This is a Mukthi Kshetram.
Naramukha Vinayagar:
Once upon a time Mother Parvati wished to take a bath in Harisolmahanathi. She created a boy from Manjal (Turmeric) powder and after giving life to this boy asked him to stand guard outside while she took bath. Meanwhile, Lord Shiva returned home. When he tried to enter the house, the boy prevented him from doing so. In anger, Shiva beheaded the boy. When Parvati saw this, she burst into tears as the boy was made of her own thing and he is like her son. In order to console her, Shiva sent out his troops (gana) to fetch the head of anyone found sleeping with his head pointing to the north. (That is one of the reason there is a belief that you should not sleep keeping your head pointing to North – even today).
They found an elephant sleeping thus and brought back its head. Shiva then attached the elephant’s head to the body of the boy and gave him new life. He named the boy Ganapathi, which means commander of his troops. He also granted him a boon that everyone would worship him (Ganesha) before beginning any work. This is the only type of Vinayagar where He has a human face. This is supposed to be the First Vinayagar that Goddess Parvathi created.
Brahmma got relieved of Lord Shiva curse here:
The legend has that Lord Shiva performed cosmic dance in the presence of all deities, Sages and celestial dancers & Singers at Mount Kailash. The entire cosmos was immersed at the captivating exquisiteness of Lord’s dance forms and the divine couple provided blessings to those who were assembled. In the meantime, Lord Vayu was completely wrapped up with the situation, in a state of bliss activated a noticeable airstream that caused to misplace the attire of Urvasi (celestial dancer), Lord Brahma who was standing next to Urvasi was absorbed at the beauty of her.
Lord Shiva was furious at the unruliness of Lord Brahma and cursed him to take birth on Earth. Lord Brahma realized his foolishness, earnestly prayed to Lord Shiva. The compassionate Lord Shiva advised Lord Brahma to worship him at Thiruthilathaipathi, which would free him from the curse. Lord Brahma sincerely followed the instructions of Lord Shiva, arrived on this sacred land and created a pond Brahma Theertham, underwent severe austerities and performed sacred bath to Lord Shiva.
Eventually, Lord Brahma was relieved from the curse. Meanwhile, Goddess Dakshayani was undergoing severe penance for several years on this sacred place to get released from the sin committed due to the disrespectful act to Lord Shiva and the humiliating experiences at the Daksha Yaga. Lord Brahma noticed that Goddess Dakshayani was enclosed by huge mound of ants were ultimately cleared by him. Soon, Goddess Sri Parvati appeared before Lord Brahma and blessed him. Further, Lord Brahma worshipped Lord Shiva with his consort Goddess Sri Parvati and got relieved from the sins.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
Lord Brahma, Lord Rama & Lakshman, Lord Surya, Lord Chandra, Airavatam were said to have worshipped Shiva at this Kshetram.
Pithrus appeared before King Narchodhi here:
King Narchodhi underwent severe austerities and performed strict homage to his father in many sacred places. Finally, he arrived on Thilathaipathi and carried out Thilatharpanam and final rites to his father, while performing the rituals Pithrus appeared before him and received the offerings.
8. All the gods including Brahma, shiva, Surya etc are regularly visiting Shri Jaganath temple, Puri to worship maha Prabhu Shri Jaganath ( lord Maha Vishnu) daily during midnight. All these gods are coming through Swarga Dwara to Shri Jaganath temple, Puri. Lord Hanuman ( who is immortal) guarding the bay of Mahodadhi. King Vivishan ( who is immortal) is regularly visiting the Shri Jaganath temple, Puri to worship Prabhu Shri Jaganath and he is coming to Puri through Swarga Dwara.
All the devotees are required to visit , Puri after performing last rites rituals, Pind Daan, shradh, Asthi Visarjan and other death rituals at important places of India. Puri is considered as eternal place for bliss. Maha Vishnu is taking rest in Mahodadhi. After snana and pinda daan in Mahodadhi/ Swarga Dwara, the devotees are to visit Prabhu Shri Jaganath temple, Puri for darshan, daan in Mukti Mandapa and finally Maha Prasad sevan in Ananda bazaar, and after that the last ritual is completed 👍 Jai Maha Prabhu Shri Jaganath ( Lokanath Mishra, at present in London)