Pitru Paksha Puja / Shradh Puja 2023
Pitru Paksha is a 16 day period in Hindu calendar when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitrus). Pitru Paksha literally means “fortnight of the ancestors” and follows the fortnight immediately after the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. It begins on the first day of the fortnight (Padyami) ending with the new moon day known as Pitru Amavasya. We owe a karmic debt to our ancestors. By dutifully performing ‘Pind daan’ during Shradha, we can pay homage to our Pitrus or ancestors. Pitra Paksha is a 16 day period in Hindu calendar where we pay homage to their ancestors. Book Pandit to perform Pitru Paksha Puja.
Most people who celebrate this occasion often book a pandit to complete their pujas in the utmost religious manner and ensure their ancestors are happy with their serving. If you’re planning to please your pitrus and struggling to find a pandit, then SmartPuja has an accessible option for you.
SmartPuja is an online platform that makes it easier for devotees to find pandits for their religious occasions in the comfort of their homes. Offering puja, e-puja, photography, catering and other related services in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad, we make your overall puja experience more religious and divine.
We have a list of Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Marwari, Malayalam, Kumauni, Tamil, Bihari, North Indian and all the other pandits registered on our platform. All you need to do is find your puja service and book in just a few clicks.
About Pitru Paksha
Pitrupaksha is derived from two Sanskrit terms – Sat (Truth) and Aadhar (Basis). The 16 days is also known as Shraddha, where an offering or devotion is made to the pitrus.
As per the ancient Indian history, when Karna passed away during the war of Mahabharat and his soul reached heaven, he didn’t get to eat regular food. Instead, he was given gold and jewels to eat. His soul got frustrated and he addressed this issue to Indra (Lord of Heaven) as to why is he not being served the actual food.
Lord Indra revealed the actual reason that he donated all these things to others throughout his life but never gave the same to his ancestors. Then Karna replied that he didn’t know of his ancestors and after hearing him out, Lord Indra allowed him to return back to Earth for the period of 16 days so that he can donate food to his ancestors. This 16-day period came to be known as Pitru Paksha.
According to ritual beliefs, individuals participate in the occasion, or if any of their family members are planning to celebrate it, they must not consume any non-vegetarian food for 16-days, referred to as Pitru Dosh.
Pitru Paksha Puja Mantra
ॐ पितृगणाय विद्महे जगत धारिणी धीमहि तन्नो पितृो प्रचोदयात्.
ॐ देवताभ्य: पितृभ्यश्च महायोगिभ्य एव च। नम: स्वाहायै स्वधायै नित्यमेव नमो नम:.
ॐ आद्य-भूताय विद्महे सर्व-सेव्याय धीमहि।
Pitru Paksha Puja Rituals
Pitrupaksha is the beginning of a waning phase of the lunar cycle. During these 16 days, multiple rituals are done to offer respect to the dead members of the family through Shradh and Tarpan.
Puja rituals include Aasan Shuddhi, Shareer Shuddhi, Pavtrikaran, Ganga Ahvahan, Shikha Bandhan, Swastivachan, Shanti Paath , Sankalp, Dev Tarpan, Rishi Tarpan, Pitra Tarpan, Pind Daan, Panch grass rituals etc.
Importance of Pitrupaksha
According to traditional beliefs, the family’s unhappy souls usually return to earth to visit their loved ones until they attain Moksha. Therefore, to ensure that the deceased member’s soul has attained Moksha, the Pind Dann ritual is performed by the family members in which they satisfy the soul’s hunger and thirst. It is an act appeasing the soul that no longer exists in its physical form. All these prayers and rituals are done to free the soul and help them be released from the life, death, and birth cycle.
Apart from satisfying the souls, Pitrupaksha is also essential for the people who are deceased with Pitru dosh. It is the curse of dead members or ancestors on the family members, due to which they cannot complete their tasks or live life in an ideal manner.
To get rid of or eliminate Pitru dosh, family members or individuals offer food to crows during Shradha rituals. If the crow accepts that food, then ancestors are believed to be pleased. But, if they refuse the same, the souls are displeased, and individuals are still under Pitru dosh.
Pitrupaksha 2023 Start & End Date
Pitrupaksha in 2023 will begin on 29th September 2023 and continue till 14th October 2023.
Pitrupaksha/Sharadh Vidhi
- During Sharadh rituals, the eldest family member or son takes a bath in the holy water, gets dressed up with new clothes, and wears a ring made of Kush grass (a symbol used to invoke souls).
- A chowki or low-heightened wooden table is covered with white cloth, and barely or black sesame seeds are spread on it with the photo of an ancestor placed on the same. All this setup is done in the south corner.
- The dressed-up family member invites ancestors for Pind Daan and offers rice balls with goat’s milk, honey and sugar.
- The ritual is further followed by Tarpan, in which water and flour are mixed with black sesame seeds, barely Kush and all of these are offered to the ancestor’s soul.
- Once all the rituals are done and food is offered, all these foods are served to the needy and poor while seeking ancestor’s blessings.
Book Pitrupaksha Pandit With SmartPuja
SmartPuja provides customers will end to end Hassle-Free Puja services. For Pitru Paksha Puja, we’ll send an experienced North Indian Pandit Ji from our team. Puja is performed with proper Vedic rituals. We will also send all Puja items and materials. From your side, you need to keep sweet, fruits, Panchamarit ready along with some household utensils.
SmartPuja has a team of Qualified, Knowledgeable and Experienced Pandits who perform Pujas as per your community, language and region specifications. We take care of the entire process, right from booking and assigning the right Pandit, with best Muhurat, Puja Items, Puja Samagri, Flowers etc. All you need to do is to book the service, sit back and relax while we work on ensuring that you get a satisfying and divine Puja experience.
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FAQs Related To Pitru Paksha Puja
A Newborn birth during Pitrupaksha is celebrated as a start to something positive and is known as a lucky message from ancestors. Some rituals also believe that a newborn during Pitrupaksha marks the birth of a deceased ancestor in a different soul.
The person following Sharadh for the 16 days must not cut his beard, hair or nails. However, other family members can do the same. Moreover, a person performing Shradh must also not wear dirty clothes during the 16 days.
It helps family members relieve mental and physical ailments and provides harmonious family relations.
Vedic experts advise conducting religious ceremonies or pujas during Pitru Paksha for the well-being or resting of the soul of their ancestors.
