Guest guest Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Dear Samskara priyas, It is believed that by satisfying our ancestors and forefathers who are no more in this world, we can have blessings for happy and peaceful worldly life. According to Puran Pitrukshetra have been divided into five parts out of these Bodhigaya as Shirakshetra, Vaitarni as Nabhi kshetra, Pithapur at padarkshetra, Siddhpur at Matrukshetra and Badrinath as Brahmakapali kshetra. Thus, all these five-pitru tirtha are various organs of one body.Bodhygaya Kshetra is very famous, ancient and holy pilgrim for dedicating Pind dan for ancestors and forefathers. That is situated on the bank of Falgu river in Bihar state. Nabhigaya Kshetra is situated at Jajpur village on the bank of Vaitarni river in Orissa state. It is also known as Nabhi Kshetra. Vaitarni river is famous in Puran wherein it is mentioned that after death one has to cross Vaitarni river and the person who have perform good deeds during his life time can only cross the river very easily. But by performing Pitrutarpan Pooja here one can make his forefather cross this river.Padgaya Kshetra is situated at Pithapur at Tamil Nadu state on the Madra-valter railway line. It is situated near Raj Mahendri station. Siddhpur is known as Matrugaya Kshetra is situated in Mahesana district of Gujarat state.Bhagavan Parshuram had perform Pind dan dedication of his mother in the past so pilgrims from all over India to Siddhpur for performing this pooja. On the bank of Bindu Sarovar, Pindadan and Shradh ceremony are performed. Learned Brahmin who have been educated and trained to perfome this special type of pooja is always available in Siddhpur.Near Badrinath in Himalaya. A stone known as rahmakapali has been founded wherein Pindadan dedication and Shradh pooja is performed. If there is Pitrudosh in your horoscope because of which family doesn’t grow or the family has to face the problems constantly one has to perform Narayan Bali pooja on the bank of Narmada river at Chanod tirtha situated near Dabhoi in Baroda district in Gujarat. This Kshetra is very famous for other Pitrutarpan pooja and dedication to ancestors and forfathers. Learned and well-educated Brahmins are providing all types of facilities and amenities to the pilgrims to the coming here to all over India. Even after death to perform Uttarkriya people are coming here from every corners of the country. Shraadh means to give with devotion or to offer one's respect. Shraadh is a ritual for expressing one's respectful feelings for the ancestors. According to Indian texts a soul has to wander about in the various worlds after death and has to suffer a lot due to past karmas. Shraadh is a means of alleviating this suffering. Shraddhyaa Kriyate Yaa Saa: Shraadh is the ritual accomplished to satiate one's ancestors. The nature's cycle keeps on going according to its fixed programme and similarly man to keeps moving from the birth to death then again to birth and so on. This goes on and on endlessly and souls that have passed away keep taking birth in new forms. This cycle was set into process by the Almighty and our ancient Rishis and Yogis divided the human life from birth to death into various parts so that man could lead a balanced life and accomplish the tasks in his life that are important for his existence. They designated particular rituals for each part of a person's life so that life could be lived to the full. Along with this they also advised man to offer his thanks and gratitude to the Almighty and seek his divine blessings so that he could lead a happy, contented and divine life full of all comforts and pleasures. According to Hindu tradition life is divided into various parts and similarly there are different Samskars which mark a particular phase or part of life. When a soul enters the womb or when a woman becomes pregnant Punsavan Samskar is accomplished. On birth of the child Choodamani Samskar is done. When the child starts his education the Upanayan Samskar is accomplished which marks the phase of development of an ignorant individual into a knowledgable person. Similarly when a person becomes young Vivah Samskar is accomplished whereby he gets married and enters into a new phase of life. All through his life he has to go through several Samskars and when finally he gets old and dies the Kapal Kriya Samskar is accomplished as the soul leaves to take birth in a new body. Thus this system is very well organised and it is based on human emotions and feelings. Even after death the link with the soul continues and in India every year a ritual is carried out to offer one's respect and love to the departed soul. In the ancient text Garud Puraan and other Puraans it is clearly stated that by offering food to dead one's ancestors their souls feel satiated and they bless the person with wealth, children, knowledge, joys, pleasures and a total life. Shraadh is this ritual well known all over India and it needs no special introduction. But very few people are aware that there are twelve types of Shraadh. 1. Nitya Shraadh It is done daily. And in this ceremony sesame seeds, grains, water, milk, fruit, vegetables and food are offered to the departed soul daily. 2. Neimitik Shraadh It is also known as Ekodisht Shraadh. In it food is offered to an odd number of priests say 1, 3, or 5 in number. 3. Kaamya Shraadh In it prayers and respect is offered to the departed soul with the aim of fulfilment of some wish. 4. Vriddhi Shraadh It is done for gain of prosperity and children. Only persons who have gone through Upanayan Samskar should do it. 5. Sapindan Shraadh In it four clean vessels are taken and in each some water mixed with fragrance and sesame seeds is taken. These four are symbolic of Pretaatma (wandering spirits), Pitaatmaa (spirits of higher souls), Devaatmaa (spirits which are divine) and other unknown souls. Then the water from the first vessel is poured into the second. 6. Paarvann Shraadh It is done on a moonless night or on some special occasion. 7. Goshtth Shraadh It is done for gain of cattle. 8. Shurdhyarth Shraadh It is done with the help of priests for gain of wealth, amd for appeasing scholars and ancestors. 9. Karmaang Shraadh In it prayers are offered to the ancestors when a woman becomes pregnant or when Seemaantonayan and Punsavan Samskars are being accomplished. 10. Deivik Shraadh In it oblations are made with ghee in the holy fire for good luck in travels and to seek the well wishes of deities. 11. Oupcharik Shraadh It is done for physical health and riddance from diseases. 12. Saanvatsarik Shraadh It is best among all Shraadhs and it is accomplished on the day on which the soul departed. It is a very important ritual for in the text Bhavishya Purann Lord Sun says - I do not accept the prayers of a person who does not perform Saanvatsarik Shraadh and neither do Vishnu, Brahma, Rudra and other deities. Hence one should surely carry out this ritual each year on the day the ancestor passed away. It is stated in the texts that a person who does not accomplish the Shraadh of his dead parents has to suffer much in life and even after. He may even be born in lower planes of existence as a result. Some might ask what they should do if they do not remember the dates of passing away of their parents? Such a person should do Shraadh on the moonless night in the month of Shraadhs. Shraadh for dead women folk should be done on the ninth day of dark fortnight of the lunar calendar. Shraadh is accomplished not only for dead parents but all ancestors whose names one might not remember or whose dates of passing away are not remembered. This ritual is symbolic of giving respect to the dead ancestors and a way of getting their blessings and well wishes. Hence every person should perform Shraadh. But merely inviting some priests and offering them food and gifts is not enough. Rather one should include a Sadhana in this process. Only then is the ritual fruitful. Following is the Sadhana for this purpose which every person should try with full faith and devotion for gaining the maximum from the departed souls. Sadhana Time: On the date on which the ancestor passed away do this Sadhana early in the morning in Brahm Muhurat i.e. between 5 and 7 am. One should sit facing South for this Sadhana. The main benefit of this Sadhana is that through it the dead ancestor feels fully satiated in whichever place he might be at that moment. If he has taken birth in some lower plane he becomes free from it and is born in a good family. In a way it is a Sadhana for freeing the dead one's spirit from lower planes of existence and propelling it upwards. It is a very easy and simple Sadhana and any person can accomplish it without any problem. Get up early in the morning and have a bath. Wear fresh white clothes and sit on a white mat facing South. Offer on it flowers, incense. Next chanting the following Mantra eleven times place the eleven prathimas of your departed ancestor in the plate one by one. || Om Amukam Pitre Namah || In the above Mantra the word Amukam has to be replaced by the ancestor's name while chanting the Mantra. Then chant the Mantra for fifteen minutes keeping your gaze fixed on the Yantra. After the Sadhana is over drop the Yantra and the eleven Beejs in a river or pond. Offer the gifts to some priest and also offer him meals. Before starting the Sadhana take water in the hollow of your right hand and pledge that you are doing this Sadhana for the satiation and emancipation of your ancestors. Separate Sadhana should be done for both parents Among the Hindus, the sradda is religious ceremony, often performed annually, in propitiation of there departed ancestors who are technically known as pitrus, the word sraddda, according to sage pulastya, is derived as follows:"sradhaya deyathe yasmath sraddam ithyabhidheeyathee: i.e., that which is performed with great faith. The faith referred to here is the faith in the Vedas, whose dictates are taken as incontrovertible and which enjoin its performance as a duty. It is interesting to note that sraddha or faith, and medha or intelligence, are actually deified in the Vedas. Among the important items of a sradha are the argya (water libation): Havana (fire-offering), the feeding of Brahmins, pinda dana, vikira, dakshina- offering and tarpana.holy Brahmins are fed in a worshipful manner, after invoking of them the souls of the departed ancestors of three generations identified with vasu, rudra and adithya, on the paternal or maternal side, as the case may be. The pitrus.who live in pitru loka in the form of spirits, are fetched into the sradda venue by the vishvedevas or the universal soul.The darbha or kusa grass and til sesamum are two significant materials used in the performance of sradda.the padmapurana states that the kusa grass and black til sprang from the body of Vishnu.Aswalayana gruhya sutra points out that the essence of waters became darbha, alluding to a Vedic story. Since Vishnu in anathema to evil spirits, the use of til prevents sradda offering from being pilfered by them. Use of kusa, being the essence of all holy waters, makes the whole rite holy. Silver vessels for argya and pinda in sraddaa are highly recommended because, the ancient pitrus milked svadha in a silver vessel and they are highly pleased with the sight, use and gift of such vessels. The sraddha became an important limb of Hindu religious life. The how of it Question often asked about the sradda as we perform it today is this; how, by feeding some Brahmins here and now, one expects to feed ones ancestors who are dead long since, and possibly, according to the karma theory, live in other forms and climes.The answer to this question is given in the matsya purana; what we do in our sradda is to invoke the souls of the departed ancestors on the venue of the sradda by viswedevas or or the universal spirit. Thus for practical purposes, the spiritual bodies or souls of our ancestors, identified with vasu, rudra, and adithyas who are the sradda deities, are present, and we worship them. Now, the food the Brahmins eat or the oblations one offers in the sacrificial fire uttering the deportees name and gotra during the sradda is transformed by the mantra and faith into food appropriate for current bodies of the celestial messenger, agni, (the god of fire) or the vasus, rudras, etc, who have access everywhere and gratify the pitrus.if, for instance, the ancestor had been born an angle, the oblation goes to him as nectar; if he be born as cattle, it is taken to him as grass; or if born as human, it goes to him as cereals,Just as a calf finds its own mother from the money cows grazing, so the mantras uttered in the sradda ceremony carry the food to the correct pitrus,The pitrudevathas, after completion of the sradda and gratified by the worship, bless the performer with health, wealth, children and prosperity and prosperity and depart to their own region.Whatever the religious merit or otherwise of sradda.it has this psychological merit, namely, it definitely helps us recall with affection and gratitude the memory of our elders and benefactors, which is an ennobling experience. Secondly, it is a demonstrable fact that faith works miracles. When that is the case with ordinary faith. What shall we say of a faith such as the sradda, which has been a racial memory in the sense that it is the continuous possession of successive generations of Hindus since the Vedic times! It must work greater miracles. THE IMPORTANCE OF SHRAADH Hindu mythology is rich in its legacies and traditions. Of the many rites, rituals, festivals and ceremonies, Shraadhs appear to be quite different. Shraadhs constitute 'a debt of the dead' which ought to be repaid assuming the dead ones as being alive and living with us.During this period called pitru paksha, the lord of death, Yama raja enables all who shed their mortal frames to come back to earth and receive offerings from their descendants. For ages, it has been associated with such offerings being made to the dead christened pretas (spirits) and pitrus(forfathers).It is believed that one owes three main debts. First its Devarina (debt to the gods), second is Rishi rina (debt to the guru) and the last but, not the least is the Pitra rina (debt to the forefathers). It is ordained that one must pay off these debts with utmost humility and respect.During the fortnight of the Aashwin month, Hindus offer ablation to their ancestors, While most people observe shraadhs at their places, the more devout of them prefer to perform the rites at the designated holy places but Gaya in Bihar (India) is considered the holiest. A pinda daan is supposed to liberate all souls from the control of Yama and help them attain moksha.Gaya derives its name from al demon called gayasura. Legend has it that after a severe penance demon Gayasura pleased Vishnu and was granted a boon that whoever would touch him will be allowed a place in heaven. This angered other Gods and they hatched a conspiracy.One day when the demon sat for worship on the banks of river Phalgu, the Gods not only put a stone over his head to render him immobile but even persuaded Vishnu to put his feet on the stone.On seeing Vishnu, Gayasura asked for another boon. He stretched his body to four yojans (approximately 32 miles) and requested that the place be named after him. At Gaya there are as many as 45 sacred Vedic where shraadhs are performed. In ancient times, Gaya was a holy place for offering obseuies for merits of parents and was divided into two distinct areas, dharamanya and dharmaprastha. In dharamanya were contained the Aswatha tree near Phalgu. Buddha Gaya was the place where pinda is offered by the Hindus from all over India, as par of the Shraadh rites. There is also the Sita Kunda where lord Rama, accompanied by Lakshmana and Sita, is believed to have performed the shraadh of his father, Dasrath. Shraadhs seem to be the outcome of the Karma theory to which all Hindus to rather fruitfully and maintains relationship till eternity. Like King Mahabali who visits Kerala during the Onam celebrations to prepetuate the ties for ever onwards, so the shraadhs seem to build bridges between the living and the dead.Gone are the days when shraadhs were observed in a spirit of true indebtedness. The Brahmins were invited, served with rice meal and a hefty dakshina amid puja recitations but now not many even know what shraadh mean to us. Not even the Pandits accept the invitation with pleasure which indeed is unfortunate, because our values are being squandered away.Little wonder then, that even devouts of other religions pay their respects to their ancestors by remembering them on the birth and death anniversaries and by raising memorials and offering flowers at the graves. Christians, Muslims and Boudhs all observe the ritual. The Chinese, Japanese and some other Asian partners honour their ancestors in much the same sense of gratitude and remembrance.While there are lots of people whose descendants remember and honour their ancestors, there may be millions who die n harness. Hindu religion even remembers those who die in wars and other natural calamities, even the unseen and unheard of insects and other creatures and upholds the highest celestial standards.Yours Yogically, Shreeram Balijepalli Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam... Click to join Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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