Thread by @HinduMediaWiki

A primer on Pitru Tarpanam:

Pitrus are our ancestors who have deceased And "Tarpanam" means "to satiate".

Pitru Tarpanam is done to please our deceased ancestors with offerings of black sesame seeds mixed with water to trees. 1/14

Pitru Paksha (Sanskrit: पितृ पक्ष, Pitṛ pakṣa; lit. "fortnight of the ancestors") is a 16–lunar day period in Hindu calendar when Hindus pay homage to their ancestor (Pitrs), especially through food offerings.

It can be done yearly in the Pitru Paksha, monthly on each Amavasya Tithi(also known as the Pitru Tithi), or even daily. (5th and 6th September of 2021 is such Amavasya).

The Dates of 20/09 to 6/10 are given for Pitru Paksha of the 2021 year.

The Sanskrit word ‘pitr’ becomes ‘pita’ in the singular and ‘pitarah’ in the plural; the former means ‘father’, the latter is used in several senses like forefathers or ancestors occupying their own world called Pitruloka.

There are many references about Pitru Paksha in Hindu Scripture, one of important is Garuda Purana which talks about the rules and importance of Pitru Paksha.

The Markandeya Purana describes such instances of eagerness on the part of the pitrus to get good food (in the Shraaddhas), to receive oblations of water during Tarpans and to get a Shraaddha performed at holy places like Gaya.

In this context the following verse from the Bhagavad Gita where Arjuna laments about the ancestors losing their status on account of their being deprived of offerings to them is relevant.

सङ्करो नरकायैव कुलघ्नानां कुलस्य च।
पतन्ति पितरो ह्येषां लुप्तपिण्डोदकक्रियाः।।1.42।।

Meaning:

Contamination of character ("VarnaShankar" word here have other meaning too, for example, lose of caste) pushes the annihilators of society and society itself into hell; their ancestors fall from grace, having been deprived of their offerings of Pinda and water.

The Rig Veda (10.14.2 and 7) mentions the pitruloka as a place where one’s departed ancestors live.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (6.2.16) considers Pitruloka as a station on the path of Pitruyana (the path of manes).

Manusmriti (2.176) says that Tarpan to devas, pitrus and rishis is a compulsory part of the daily routine of every brahmacharin.

The water may be mixed with gingelly seeds (til). Tarpana is said to satiate the gods, manes and sages to whom it is offered.

Pitru Tarpan is not similar to Śrāddha though both is done to pay homage to one's three generations of 'ancestors' (Pitṛs).

Garud purana talks about who can perform Pitru Tarpan.

In reply to a question by Garuda, Shree Krishna in says,

"Son, Grandson, Great-grandson, his brother and brother's progeny, so also sapiṇḍa progeny - all these are authorized to perform the obsequies."

He further says:

In their absence, samānodaka progeny can perform the rite. If both the families are maleless the women should perform the obsequies.

In the absence any family or relative, the king may perform all the rites - the preliminary, the middling and the final.

The following link gives a detailed way of performing the Pitru Tarpan.

The link is also archived at the @HinduMediaWiki website under Hindu samskara category.

sanatan.org/en/a/87.html

For more question on Vidhi, Mantra, and tithi you can ping @mmpandit 🙏