EYE ON VEDIC FESTIVALS: PITRIS PAKSHA

Over the last year, I have become fascinated by the impact of our ancestors on our present-day karma.  Mark Woylnn’s book, It Didn’t Start With You, reminds us of how our ancestor’s unresolved suffering, much of which is unknown to us, binds us painfully to them. So often our depression, anxiety, pain and phobias, and obsessive thoughts come to us genetically from our parents, grandparents,  and great grand-parents.   In Vedic astrology, you can often see this in the Varga charts, D-40 and D-45 which are about ancestral lineage.  In tracing family trees, it becomes more and more fascinating to discover our struggles are our ancestor’s struggles and they are cheering for us to complete what they may not have.  We owe them so much for their sacrifice and devotion to bringing up a family and continuing the family lineage. In my Varga 2 class, I have 2-3 lessons on Ancestral Karma. (email me at barry@appliedvedicastrology.com for details.)

A special two-week period for honoring the ancestors runs Sept. 10th from the full moon to the new Moon on Sept. 25th. It is thought that at this time, the heavens are closer to the earth and that we can connect more clearly with our ancestors.   If you want to remember your departed loved ones, this is a good time to do so. Feed the poor, give donations, and celebrate their life with a feast in their memory- usually vegetarian and Sattvic food. Honor their memory and remember them with fondness.  If you do not have a Hindu temple near you, you can observe on your own by bringing out 3 generations of family pictures, lighting candles and feeling gratitude, and donating to the poor. As we heal and remember, we heal and honor their light in us with gratitude.

More on this holiday from my teacher, Komilla Sutton:

The Vishnu Purana states that the sraddha performed on the days leading up to the new moon in Virgo are equivalent to and as efficacious as performing the shraddha on the banks of the sacred rivers and sacred places such as Gaya.

So what is the significance of this holiday? My Jyotish Guru, Komilla Sutton, discusses it:

“Shraddha are also known as Pitris paksha. Paksha is a fortnight and the pitris paksha always takes place when the Moon is in its waning phase, Krishna Paksha. Shraddha usually takes place 10 days after Ganesha Chathurti. This fortnight is left to pray to the dead. The New moon in Virgo signals the end of the Shraddha.

Shraddha means faith and reverence. It is one of the important duties of every person according to the Hindu belief. Shraddha is performed in the Krishna paksha (waning Moon fortnight) before the new Moon is Virgo (Sept.10-25th). The rituals performed during this time give great religious merit. The ancestors are worshiped and every effort is made to satisfy their wishes so that they can rest in peace for the rest of the year.

Komilla goes on to say: ” Shraddha means faith and reverence. It is one of the important duties of every person according to the Hindu belief.  Favorite food items of the departed person are specially prepared and offered after performing a puja, donations and given and people also travel to Gaya or other spiritual places to give special offerings. A small portion of the food is also offered to the crow. The Crow is considered a connection between the living and the dead worlds.

The Shraddha performed during Pitru Paksha are not funeral ceremonies. They are Yagyas for the Pitris, worship of the ancestors as deities. They are different from the worship of God. Shraddha is mainly performed for three generations of Pitris, namely the father, the grandfather, and the great-grandfather. When performed for all the ancestors benefit from it.”

The final day of Pitris Paksha is the Mahalay Amavasya (the dark night before the new moon)- Sept. 28th in 2019. This takes place when the Sun and Moon conjunct in Virgo. All the ancestors are prayed to on this day. The belief is that they all come down to earth from their abode to join the world of living for a day.

As we heal and remember, we heal and honor their light in us with gratitude.