Shraddha Dates 2025

Shraddha refers to a set of rituals performed by Hindus to pay homage to their deceased ancestors, offering them peace in the afterlife. These rites are conducted during specific times, especially during Pitru Paksha (a 16-lunar day period in the Hindu calendar dedicated to ancestors) or on Amavasya (New Moon day), but can also be performed annually or on the death anniversary of the departed.

Why is Shraddha Performed?

• Duty to Ancestors: It's considered a sacred duty to provide for one's ancestors even after their death, ensuring their soul finds peace and ascends to a higher state.
• Spiritual Benefits: Performing Shraddha is believed to absolve the ancestors of any unfulfilled desires or sins, thus aiding their journey towards liberation (moksha). It also brings blessings upon the living family members, including prosperity, health, and the fulfillment of desires.
• Cultural Continuity: Shraddha rituals keep the memory of ancestors alive, fostering a sense of continuity and connection with lineage, reinforcing familial and cultural bonds.
• Karmic Balance: Hinduism emphasizes the cycle of karma. Shraddha is a way to balance or mitigate any negative karma inherited from ancestors or to fulfill duties towards them, which might otherwise burden subsequent generations.

How is Shraddha Performed?

Preparation:

• Purity: The performer (usually the eldest son or a close male relative) observes purity, often including fasting or consuming only sattvic (pure) food.
• Place: It's often done at home or by holy rivers or at designated places like Gaya in India, known for its significance in ancestral rites.

Rituals:

• Tarpan: Offering water mixed with black sesame seeds, barley, and kusha grass to the ancestors, chanting specific mantras, usually done in the morning. This is to quench the thirst of the departed souls.
• Pinda Daan: Offering rice balls (pindas) symbolizing the body of the deceased. These are offered to crows (believed to be ancestral spirits) or placed in water bodies. Brahman Bhojan: Feeding Brahmins or priests. It's believed that by satisfying Brahmins, one can reach the food to the ancestors. The number of Brahmins fed can correspond to the number of generations one is honoring.
• Daan (Charity): Giving away items like clothes, food, or money in the name of the ancestors. Charity is considered a way to lighten the soul's journey.
• Recitation: Sacred texts like the Bhagavad Gita or specific mantras like the Pitru Sukta are recited for the peace of the ancestors.

Timing:
Shraddha is typically performed during Pitru Paksha, but can also be done on the death anniversary or on Amavasya, particularly on Mahalaya Amavasya, which marks the beginning of Pitru Paksha.

• Regional Variations: The specifics of Shraddha rituals can vary by region, caste, and family tradition, but the essence remains the same - remembrance and offering.

Conclusion: The ritual ends with prayers for the ancestors' peace and blessings for the living.
Shraddha is not just a ritual but a profound cultural and spiritual practice that reinforces the importance of family, continuity, and the cycle of life and death in Hindu philosophy.