{viprasamhitha} GAYA SRADDHAM

July 22, 2009

Dear Guruprasad, Many thanks for expressing your views against performing Shraddha on Ekadasi days. I have neither performed Sraddham on Ekadasi days nor have applied my mind independently on this issue and I had merely stated what our Purohits have been advising us from time to time. I now remember that I have heard about the existence of a sloka in Brahma-vaivarta Purana on this point. Briefly put, according to this sloka not only the person performing Shraddha, his forefathers and the family priest or Purohita who encouraged performing Shraddha on Ekadasi day--all of them go to hell. Unfortunately, now-a-days very few well-informed Purohits are available.

Since many Grahastas are not interested in rituals, there are only few Vaideekas and their knowledge on such matters is also deficient. The Sloka mentioned abve highlights the importance of Ekadasi Vratham. If you do not eat food on Ekadasi day and if you engage yourself in worshipping the Lord you are assured of God being pleased with you as stated in many Puranas.The best tithi for performing Sraddhams is, no doubt, Amavasya on which day all Brahmins are required to perform what is known as Darsa Sraaddham Tila tarpana roopena' While on this topic, let me share a provision from Prasna Upanishad according to which Shraddha rituals performed on the first Krishna Paksha Amavasya during Dhakshinayana period directly reach the Pitrus. In

Tamilnadu, Kataka Masa Amavasya, known in Tamil as Adi Amavasyai is considered as highly favourable for Samudra snananm and for shraddhams. As the word" Shraddham"( shraddhayaa kriyate iti Sraaddhah) indicates, it calls for involvement, faith , devotion , reverence, piety and purity not only in terms of body and clothes but also in mind. Shraddham is performed in memory of our ancestors as an act of gratitude to them and also for the welfare of our next generations. It is a known fact that there are variations here and there in the details of the rituals being observed from region to region in Bharat. But the spirit or essence of the ritual is the same.

As regards the procedure followed in Benares and other Tirthkshetras, the rice balls after completion of Sraddham are either dumped into the river or fed to cows. What will you do in a place where there is neither a river nor cows? The point raised by me was not confined only to correct method of disposal of the pindam but also about the left overs in the plantain leaves and the leaves on which the Pitrus ate. G.Balasubramanian

"K n, Guruprasad (GE Infra, Energy)" <Guruprasad.knviprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) comSent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 12:28:51 AM Bgefore {viprasamhitha} Re: GAYA SRADDHAM

Dear Sir

A few notes from my side:

1. I am NOT sure about shraddha being performed on Ekadasi! It is meant to be a day of fasting and performing shraddha on that day has logistical issues as well as philosophical ones. Pitr-devatas are also supposed to be fasting that day and hence how can they consume food on the day of shraddha [it is a common practice to feed 2 Brahmins on that day, one representing Devatasthan and other Pitr-sthan]. Even if they are devatas and can consume food, how about the kartu? Is he not supposed to fast that day? So would he forego pitr-prasad?

2. Regarding disposal of "pindas" - In Bangalore, there are designated areas in lakes where one can dispose these. Many of the temples/Mutts also have cows who can be fed these! Of late, some of them [as cow owners object to they being fed darbha, etc as veterinary doctors say they cause gastric pains for cows!] dig a pit every day and dispose it off there. Some of the temples which have vacant areas and are quite large resort to this practice

Thanks

Guru

viprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) com [viprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) com] On Behalf Of G BalasubramanianWednesday, July 22, 2009 12:07 AMviprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) comCc: brahmin_world; USBrahmins Subject: {viprasamhitha} Re: GAYA SRADDHAM

He Vipra Bhaandhavaah,Renouncing consumption of one favourite vegetable, one favourite fruit and one favourite leaf at Akshayavatam is more a convention than based on any Sastraic injunctions, to the best of my understanding. In case any other member of this can quote the relevant authority, I shall be grateful. Even in sacrificing your favourite things there are certain restrictions that you can not renounce raw Banana and the like.The concept of Pratyaabdeeka Sraddham (Parvana Vidhanena) is more prevalent in Southern parts of India than in the North. Pratyabddeka Sraddham is performed on the relevant anniversary Thithi in the relevant Paksha and in the relevant Hindu month(Masa) of death anniversary. Pratyabdeeka means 'annual'. In most parts of India Sraddha refers only to the ceremony observed during the 15 days of Pitru Paksham falling in the month of September or October. The amount of austerity/rigidity/ self-discipline with which Sraddha ceremony is required to be observed in Southern parts of India is not present in other parts of the country.If one happens to miss performing Pratyaabdeeka Sraddham on the relevant Tithi, Paksha and Masa, the Sastras provide for performing it on the same Tithi in the immediately following month. A missed Pratyaabdeekam can also be performed on Ekadasi or Amavasya Tithi, as informed to me by our Vadhyar(Purohit).Incidentally,there is lack of uniformity of opinion even among Vadhyars on many issues. To quote one example, let us take the issue of disposal of the plantain leaves on which Brahmins were fed.One set of Vadhyars say the leaves and remnants on the leaves should be buried deep in the earth. This is not possible if you are living in a housing complex of apartments or flats as this will be objected to by other co-owners. Another set of Vadhyars feel these can be fed to cows and we have to ensure that dogs do not get to eat the remnants of Pitru Bhojanam. A third set of opinion is that feeding cows with Ucchishtam (echal) will invite sin. A fourth opinion given to me was that they can be thrown in a river or ocean. These days if one dumps anything in a river or ocean, and if one is caught red handed, the action can land one in jail. Another opinion given to me was that we can dispose of the leaves on which Brahmins ate along with rejects and remnants next day along with our usual green and wet trash and even if they are consumed by dogs no sin will accrue. Is there any proclamation in the Sastras as to how to handle the situation? If yes, why then this varying opinions as stated above. Similar variations in instructions by Vadhyars come to our notice in various other matters in the course of Sraddham. One has to live with the contradictory instructions for fear of sin accruing on account of not following the Purohit`s instructions/directions during Sraddham.G.Balasubramanian

Srinivasan MS <srinivasan.ms2000viprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) comSent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 12:34:10 PM{viprasamhitha} Re: Benaras and Sraddhamdear learned members

I had been keenly following the discussion on gaya sraddam and the vow of leaving 3 pet items, on my dilemma. most of the opinion expressed were self consoling for not refusing prasadam. Another experience, i had. once i was on offical govt duty to delhi and on my way back in train i realised that it was sraddha day of my father. The moment i landed, i approached my family priest and asked if there is any pariharya . He said that shradda can be performed on next star day of death. After few days he communicated that shastras permit to do the sraddah on next immediate ekadasi.

My intention of approaching the learned persons was, what the sashtra says about the system of renouncing the items during gaya pinda danam and the instruction there after.

If you go through the legand of harishchandras,vow has to be kept in all circumstance even if God tests you.

I am of this opinion and follow true to my conscious till date.

cnu.pne

On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 7:04 PM, Dr D Bharadwaj <dr.d.bharadwaj wrote:

Dear Sir,

''can not consume them wantonly thereafter'' sums up the substance... :-)

waj <dr.d.bharadwajviprasamhitha (AT) googl (DOT) comSent: Monday, July 20, 2009 2:21:23 AM {viprasamhitha} Re: Benaras and Sraddham

Dear Learned Friends,

I would like to see this ingenious Indian practice of 'leaving'

as some kind of 'exercise' in giving up a 'craving' or an 'attachment' for an item or two, to start with. That is why the insistence is on 'giving up' an item that we 'like the most'.

How can one 'give up' what one does not 'hold'??

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