Pitru Paksha, literally meaning “Fortnight of the Ancestors”, is a sacred period in the Hindu calendar dedicated to expressing gratitude to one’s forefathers and performing rites for their spiritual peace. Observed during the waning phase of the lunar month of Bhadrapada (September-October), this fortnight carries profound religious, philosophical, and cultural significance.
Shraddha in Pitru Paksha is the time to remember, thank and honor our ancestors. It is believed that during the time of Shraddh, ancestors come to earth to bless their kin. The relevance of Shradh can be best known from one of the greatest epic of all time Mahabharata.
Post the war between the Kauravas and Pandavas, when everything ended, Karan (Danveer Karna, brave warrior, one of the greatest legends in the war of Mahabharata) died and reached heaven, he was offered food in the form of gold, silver and jewels. On this, he questioned Indra (the lord of heaven) the reason for offering him such a food. On this, Indra told Karna that throughout his life donated gold, diamond and silver, but, never donated any food in the name of his ancestors. Karna reverted that as he was not aware about his ancestors; hence, he never did it. So, Indra asked Karna to come back to earth, where he donated food, made Tarpan during the sixteen days.
Sarvapitri Amavasya
The last day of Pitru Paksha is known as Sarvapitri Amavasya or Mahalaya amavasya. Mahalaya amavasya is the most significant day of Pitru Paksha. Person who do not know the exact date of our ancestors death anniversary, they pay homage and offer food on this day.
Year on year, pitru paksha occurs during the Krishna Paksha (waning phase or dark fortnight of lunar month) of Bhadrapada month just before the start of Navratri (Dusehra).
This year, the Mahalaya Pitru Paksha stretches from 7 Sept, 2025 to 21 Sept, 2025.
Srimad Bhagavad Gita says the body is perishable, but the soul is deathless. In fact, the soul is never born or dead. It is eternal and immortal. Neither the five elements nor any force on the earth can destroy it. However, it wears the shell of physical body and therefore needs to experience the cycle of births and deaths. After giving up its earthly vesture, the soul temporarily takes refuge in the Pitruloka until it gets another body to continue with the cycle.
While it is customary to perform shradh for them year on year on the month and tithi in which they left their bodies, annually, Pitru Paksha is the right time specially designated for the ancestors to visit the families they left behind to accept the offerings they give.
Mythology Relating to King Karna
Traditionally pitru paksha or shraddh is a custom that is followed by the Hindus on a regular basis. It is said that if you fail to offer water and food to the ancestors in the pitru paksha then in the afterlife you will also remain without food and water.
We all know of the king Karna from Mahabharata. He was the son of sun god. During his life he was considered to be very deeply involved in charity. He could not say no to anyone. When he died and went to heaven the gods would give him food made of gold. Karna asked the gods that he was such a famous king and would do so much charity then why was he given food made of gold. The king of the gods Indra told him that this was so as Karna in his life was only donating gold and gems.
He never offered food and water to the poor and neither to his ancestors. King Karna realised his mistake and he wanted to correct the same. The gods decided that Karna will be allowed to get back to earth for sixteen days and feed the poor and the needy. This would help him to get rid of the problem.
Avoid New Activity During This Period
If you are planning to start any new activity then please avoid this period as it is not a good time. The manner and way in which pitru paksha rituals are performed differs from region to region.
On the shradh day many people keep fast for the ancestors to rest in peace. Many people do not cut their hair during the pitru paksha as it is considered a bad omen. Many people have different names for the pitru paksha. We are mentioning them so that you do not get confused to hear the other terms. These are: tarpanam, sola shradha, shradham.
Why Please Ancestors?
You may ask why you should please the ancestors or whether there is life after death? If they are dead then why should we bother about them? Well when your ancestors are not resting in peace you too will not be able to be in peace. You will often face some problem or the other. There will be disputes in the family. Women will not be able to bear children. The family members will be meeting with unforeseen accidents and the list will just go on.
When the ancestors are resting in peace you can see that your home and family will be prospering. Just because the ancestors are dead we should not forget them. They should be prayed to and offered food and water. If the deceased do not have a son then the immediate family members can also do the shradha puja. This puja also cleans the sinful deeds of the deceased soul and ensures that they rest in peace.
The person who is performing the shradha puja during the pitru paksha must do it with complete dedication and with whole heart. You could also do it under guidance of a learned priest.
You must keep handy the list of your ancestors who have left for their heavenly abode. Try to keep the names of at least the previous seven generations. The puja must be offered to both the men as well as the women. After the puja food must be offered to the ancestors. We will deal in more details with the shradha puja done in pitru paksha in our next article.