Is Sraddha (=annual prayers for ancestors) Really Necessary?
Sraddha (aka Shraaddha) is an annual ritualistic prayer that a Hindu performs to pay homage to his Pitru (aka Pitrs), i.e., ancestors, especially to his dead parents. It is performed on the tithi (=death anniversary) of the parents.
On the day of the tithi, a qualified priest performs a homa (fire ritual), offers balls of rice to the departed souls ("pinda pradaana" it is called).The offerings are made to three generations, i.e., father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Often, people ask whether it is really necessary to do this, and whether there are other forms of prayers or sadhana that can be a substitute for the ritualistic prayers. Many Dharma Shaastras and puranas have commented on the importance and necessity of doing the annual prayers for one's dead parents and ancestors.
Srimad Bhagavatam 7:10:22 says, "..the duty of a son is to perform the sraddha ritualistic ceremony after his father’s death so that his father may be promoted to a planetary system where he may become a good citizen and devotee."
The same has been empahsised in Srimad Bhagavatam 7:14:20-23 which list the days when this should be done: "One should perform the sraddha ceremony on
1. the Makara-sankranti [the day when the sun begins to move north] or
2. on the Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti [the day when the sun begins to move south].
"One should also perform this ceremony on
1. the Meṣa-saṅkrānti day and the Tulā-saṅkrānti day, in the yoga named Vyatīpāta, on that day in which three lunar tithis are conjoined, during an eclipse of either the moon or the sun,
2. on the twelfth lunar day, and in the Śravaṇa-nakṣatra.
"One should perform this ceremony on
1. the Akṣaya-tṛtīyā day, on the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārtika,
2. on the four aṣṭakās in the winter season and cool season,
3. on the seventh lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, during the conjunction of Maghā-nakṣatra and the full-moon day, and
4. on the days when the moon is completely full, or not quite completely full, when these days are conjoined with the nakṣatras from which the names of certain months are derived.
"One should also perform the śrāddha ceremony on
1. the twelfth lunar day when it is in conjunction with any of the nakṣatras named Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. Again, one should perform this ceremony when 2. the eleventh lunar day is in conjunction with either Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā.
"Finally, one should perform this ceremony on days conjoined with one’s own birth star [janma-nakṣatra] or with Śravaṇa-nakṣatra."
It should, however, be noted that sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on Ekadasi tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the Ekadasi day, the sraddha ceremony should be held not on Ekadasi but on the next day, or dvadasi. In the Brahma-vaivarta Puraṇa it is said:
ye kurvanti mahipala
sraddham caikadasi-dine
trayas te narakaṁ yanti
data bhokta ca prerakaḥ
If one performs the sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekadasi tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the sraddha is observed, and the purohita, or the family priest who encourages the ceremony, all go to hell.
In the event that one does not have the means and facility to get a priest to perform the prayers, one can follow the steps described in the following video:
In the following video, the same has been explained with mantras:
In the following video, "Amavasai Tharpanam", according to Yajur Veda, has been explained in Tamil. One can do this with the aid of a priest:
On the day of the tithi, a qualified priest performs a homa (fire ritual), offers balls of rice to the departed souls ("pinda pradaana" it is called).The offerings are made to three generations, i.e., father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Often, people ask whether it is really necessary to do this, and whether there are other forms of prayers or sadhana that can be a substitute for the ritualistic prayers. Many Dharma Shaastras and puranas have commented on the importance and necessity of doing the annual prayers for one's dead parents and ancestors.
Srimad Bhagavatam 7:10:22 says, "..the duty of a son is to perform the sraddha ritualistic ceremony after his father’s death so that his father may be promoted to a planetary system where he may become a good citizen and devotee."
The same has been empahsised in Srimad Bhagavatam 7:14:20-23 which list the days when this should be done: "One should perform the sraddha ceremony on
1. the Makara-sankranti [the day when the sun begins to move north] or
2. on the Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti [the day when the sun begins to move south].
"One should also perform this ceremony on
1. the Meṣa-saṅkrānti day and the Tulā-saṅkrānti day, in the yoga named Vyatīpāta, on that day in which three lunar tithis are conjoined, during an eclipse of either the moon or the sun,
2. on the twelfth lunar day, and in the Śravaṇa-nakṣatra.
"One should perform this ceremony on
1. the Akṣaya-tṛtīyā day, on the ninth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kārtika,
2. on the four aṣṭakās in the winter season and cool season,
3. on the seventh lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, during the conjunction of Maghā-nakṣatra and the full-moon day, and
4. on the days when the moon is completely full, or not quite completely full, when these days are conjoined with the nakṣatras from which the names of certain months are derived.
1. the twelfth lunar day when it is in conjunction with any of the nakṣatras named Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. Again, one should perform this ceremony when 2. the eleventh lunar day is in conjunction with either Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā.
"Finally, one should perform this ceremony on days conjoined with one’s own birth star [janma-nakṣatra] or with Śravaṇa-nakṣatra."
It should, however, be noted that sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers should not be performed on Ekadasi tithi. When the tithi of the death anniversary falls on the Ekadasi day, the sraddha ceremony should be held not on Ekadasi but on the next day, or dvadasi. In the Brahma-vaivarta Puraṇa it is said:
ye kurvanti mahipala
sraddham caikadasi-dine
trayas te narakaṁ yanti
data bhokta ca prerakaḥ
If one performs the sraddha ceremony of oblations to the forefathers on the Ekadasi tithi, then the performer, the forefathers for whom the sraddha is observed, and the purohita, or the family priest who encourages the ceremony, all go to hell.
In the event that one does not have the means and facility to get a priest to perform the prayers, one can follow the steps described in the following video:
In the following video, the same has been explained with mantras:
In the following video, "Amavasai Tharpanam", according to Yajur Veda, has been explained in Tamil. One can do this with the aid of a priest:
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