To sadhvi about Pitra Paksah

[Guest guest]

Dear sadhvi,

Thank you for all you wrote about this practice. If the Pitra Paksah

is a specific ceremony, why did Swamiji tell you that you could use

the tarpana from the Cosmic Puja? Does this mean that the Pitra

Paksha is only performed in the early fall as mentioned? Or did Swami

suggest the tarpana because it can be done at any time? Sometimes this

is so confusing to me. I am glad you gave the specific pages for the

tarpana because I have no idea what that word means. Can you tell us

.... does it relate in some way to the Pitra Paksha?

When you say you make offerings of kum kum rice, what does that mean?

Is it a special kind of rice, or a special way of preparing the rice?

Also, where do you put it when you are offering it. Same with the kum

kum ~ where do you put it? Also, how does one make a pinda? Perhaps

the people who know these things could post in a folder, "Cosmic

Recipes" or "Recipes for Puja" or something in the files section.

This would be a great gift to those of us who are firstly, not born

in India and secondly, have not yet learned all we need to know.

Jai Maa , Jai Swamiji

P.S. if this offering can only be done in the early fall, is there

some other practice we can do at other times, and not just for

deceased relatives, but for those who are still living as well?

Someone wrote:

>> "The dark half of the Ashwin (September-October) is observe as >>

Pitra Paksha throughout the Hindu world.

sadhvi wrote:>> Shradha is offered to the dead and departed ancestors

of the family. >> On each day of the fortnight, oblations of water

and pindas or balls >> of rice and meal are offered to the dead

relatives by the surviving >> relatives. >> ...what I did was much >>

simpler, using the tarpana from Cosmic Puja (pp.327-330) and >>

offerings of kum kum rice and water. Usually Pitru Paksha occurs >>

sometime in late Sept. before Navaratri. I believe the usual period

>> is 2 weeks or 15 days? It's a good time to remember ancestors.

It's >> pretty easy to make the pindas. Maybe it would be a good

practice >> every year for those of us who have lost parents or loved

ones. I do >> the "Swamiji suggested version" now every year and try

to do it >> where my parent's ashes were immersed.