Pitru Paksha is observed by Hindus by remembering their ancestors. It is when the deceased visit earth and bless their kin with prosperity. The kin offer food, money and other gifts to their ‘Pitras’ as a sign of reverence.
Shradh is also an important part of Pitra Paksha. Shradh denotes all the offerings that are made by the kin to their ancestors in these sixteen days. According to the scriptures, it is believed that those who have died come to earth in their subtle form and accept the offering of their kin.
As per Bengali beliefs, celebrations for Durga Puja begin with Mahalaya. It is the day when Goddess Durga descends on Earth. Another ritual that goes to mark the short life of humans on earth, called Tarpan, is also observed on this day.
Tarpan comes from the word ‘Trup’ which means satisfying or pleasing others.
Pitru Tarpan is a way of gratifying the ancestors and freeing them from any unfulfilled desires so that they can complete their journey to the heavenly abode with peace, satisfaction and happiness.
The objective of performing tarpan is that God, deceased ancestors’ souls etc. whose names are pronounced while performing Tarpan, should bestow happiness on us.
In the wee hours of the morning of Mahalaya, Bengalis visit the ghats of Ganga or other rivers to pray to the ancestors to bless their kin.
Methods to perform Pitru Tarpan or Tarpan:
According to ancient mathematician Baudhayana, ‘Tarpan should be performed at the riverside’. While performing Pitru Tarpan at the riverside, one should stand in the river so that the water level touches the belly button or one should perform tarpan by sitting on the banks of the river.
Tarpan for God and Sages should be performed by facing East and that for deceased ancestors’ souls it should be performed by facing South.
It is performed by remembering the ancestors with their names. Then, with the chanting of mantras, one offers water, milk and black sesame seeds. Sesame seeds particularly constitute the food of the Pitrus. Then either cooked rice or any special food the ancestors were fond of, is offered with a wish that this offering will satisfy their desires and help them to progress in their journey.
Offering of water to deities should be done using the fingertips, while offering of water to Sages should be done from the base of the little finger and the third finger and that to the deceased ancestors’ souls should be done through the mid of the thumb and the first finger of the hand.
Comments
0 comment