Between two auspicious days, full moon day of Bhadrapad month and the first day of Navratri, (Bhadaravi Poonam and Aaso Sud Ekam), the fortnight of Krushna paksh in Bhadrapad is the time to worship ancestors. Indian philosophy and scriptures believe that every person who is born is indebted and dues to ancestors are one of them.
In shraaddh, people give pitru-tarpan, pind-daan, and brahmabhoj for salvation of their forefathers. However, shraaddh has deeper meanings.
Laxminarayan Bhatt, teacher of Darshanam Sanskrit Mahavidhyala of Swaminarayan Gurukul Vishwavidhyalay Pratishthhanam says, “The act undertaken with full faith and feeling is known as shraaddh. It is mentioned in the scriptures that ‘Abhivadan shilashya, nityam vruddhopsevinaha chatwari sampravardhante aayuhu, vidhyaha yashaha balam’. The objective of the pitru shraaddh is to receive blessings from our forefathers’ spirits for the protection and safety of our children and gain traditional knowledge of our ancestry.”
Referring to the scriptures Bhatt says, “It is mentioned in the Krushna Yajurveda that ‘Jaaymano vai purushaha tribhihi roonaavan jaayate’ (every person is born with three debts in the world); one is known as Devaroon (debt to God), as God provides you air, water, earth etc. Second is Rishiroon (debt to seers), because they have given us knowledge (Gyana) and philosophies (Darshana), and Pitruroon (debt to forefathers), as because of our mother, father and forefathers, we are on this earth and they have nurtured us. It is necessary to be free from all these debts.” According to the scriptures, to be free from pitruroon, one should serve parents while they are alive and perform pitru-shraaddh after their death. “Dark half of lunar month is known as Krushna Paksha. So in Krushna Paksha of Bhadrapad month, ‘Mahalaya Shraaddh’ is observed. During these days, people perform it in three parts, one pind-daan to the forefathers, til-tarpan to forefathers and offering food to Brahmans.”
It is believed that our time calculations at pitrulok, where the spirits of our forefathers are living are different. “Our one year is considered as one day for forefathers and so we are performing shraaddh once in a year to offer food to our forefathers for their one day,” explains Bhatt. Deepak Shukla, teacher of Sanskrit literature in Varatantu Sanskrut Mahavidhyala at Bhagvat Vidyapeeth, Sola says, “It is believed that during the Shukla paksha of Bhadrapad, all the forefathers visit their families from pitrulok. People offer their forefathers food by pind-daan. Many people give kheer (mixture of milk and cooked rice) to the crows, believing that the bird is the medium between them and their forefathers’ spirits.”
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