How to Do Shradh (Pitru Paksha) - Vidhi & Rules

Shradh (from shraddha, meaning faith) is the sacred rite of honouring our departed ancestors with food, water and prayer. Pitru Paksha is the fortnight set aside for this - the Krishna paksha (waning fortnight) of the month of Bhadrapada, leading up to Mahalaya Amavasya. It is not a time of mourning but of loving remembrance and gratitude, when the family repays its debt to the pitra (ancestors) and seeks their continued blessings.

Hindu tradition holds that we owe a pitra rin (debt to our ancestors) for the gift of life and lineage. Performing Shradh is the way to repay this debt with gratitude, offering nourishment and peace to the souls of those who came before us. It is believed that satisfied ancestors bless the family with health, harmony, progeny and prosperity, while neglected duties can bring unrest known as pitra dosh.

Keep these ready before the ritual: 1. Black sesame (til), raw rice, barley and kusha grass for tarpan. 2. A vessel of clean water and a wide plate or thali to perform tarpan over. 3. Cooked sattvic food (kheer-puri is traditional), without onion or garlic. 4. Pind made of cooked rice or barley flour mixed with sesame, milk and honey, for pind daan. 5. A white or undyed cloth, a ghee lamp and seasonal fruits or flowers. The eldest son or a male family member traditionally performs it, but with right intent any sincere family member may offer Shradh.

1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes, and perform the rite at midday (Kutup or Rohini muhurat) facing south, the direction of the ancestors. 2. Take a sankalp, remembering the departed by name and gotra. 3. Perform tarpan: offer water mixed with black sesame and kusha grass through the fingers, praying for the peace of the pitra. 4. Offer pind daan: place the prepared pinds and pray that the ancestors accept the nourishment. 5. Feed brahmins or the needy a sattvic meal, treating them as representatives of the ancestors. 6. Set aside a portion of food for the crow (said to carry offerings to the pitra), as well as for a cow and a dog. 7. Conclude with prayers of gratitude and seek the blessings of the ancestors for the whole family.

Shradh is performed on the tithi (lunar date) on which the person passed away, falling within the Pitru Paksha fortnight. If the date is unknown or for all ancestors together, Sarva Pitru Amavasya (Mahalaya Amavasya), the last day, is used. The ideal time of day is the aparahna kaal (afternoon), especially the Kutup and Rohini muhurats. The rite should be completed before evening, never at night.

Do: keep the food sattvic and freshly cooked, perform the rite with calm gratitude, and treat brahmins, the needy, cows, crows and dogs with respect. Offer the first portion to the fire, cow and crow before others eat. Dont: avoid onion, garlic, alcohol and non-vegetarian food during Pitru Paksha. Do not start new ventures, buy new items or celebrate festivities in this fortnight, and never perform Shradh in anger or haste - the feeling of shraddha is the heart of the rite.