Pitru Paksha: the fortnight of the ancestors

What Pitru Paksha is

Pitru Paksha is the fortnight of the waning moon (Krishna paksha) devoted to remembering ancestors. It is also called Shraddha Paksha or Mahalaya Paksha. During these days families offer Tarpan or a full Shraddha on the tithi that matches the day each ancestor died.

The Hindu calendar names the month differently in different regions, but the fortnight itself is the same:

• In the Amanta system (months end on the new moon, followed in most of western and southern India), it is the Krishna paksha of Bhadrapada.
• In the Purnimanta system (months end on the full moon, followed in most of northern India), the same fortnight is the Krishna paksha of Ashwin.

It begins on the day after Bhadrapada Purnima, with Pratipada, and ends on the new moon day. It is followed the next day by Shukla Pratipada, when the Sharad Navratri season begins.

Many families count sixteen days by including the Purnima before the fortnight. Purnima itself is therefore a Shraddha day, even though the fortnight formally starts the next day.

A story people tell

A popular tradition says that Karna, the generous warrior of the Mahabharata, received only gold and jewels in the afterlife because he had given gold but never food in the name of his forebears. He was allowed to return for a fortnight to offer food and water. Whether or not you take the story literally, it explains the stress on food, water and giving in these days.

Which tithi for which person

The general rule is simple: perform the Shraddha on the tithi on which the person died, in this fortnight. If someone died on Shukla Panchami or Krishna Panchami, either way it is observed on Krishna Panchami in Pitru Paksha. Only the tithi counts here, not the month or the lunar half in which the death happened.

Some calendars give this table of days with special meaning. Customs differ by region and family, so use it as a guide and ask your family priest if in doubt.

Some calendars note that those who died naturally on a Chaturdashi may be honoured on Amavasya instead, so that Chaturdashi stays for untimely deaths. This is a regional view, not a universal rule.

The special days

• Purnima Shraddha. On Bhadrapada Purnima, for those who died on a Purnima.
• Bharani. When the Bharani nakshatra falls in Pitru Paksha, a Shraddha is traditionally performed. It is called Maha Bharani or Bharani Shraddha. Bharani is ruled by Yama, the lord of death, in the Vedic tradition. It is observed when Bharani is present in the Aparahna, and it usually falls on Chaturthi or Panchami, sometimes Tritiya. Follow your family's custom on whether and how to keep it.
• Matri Navami. The ninth tithi, set aside for mothers, grandmothers, and married women who passed away before their husbands. It is also called Avidhava Navami in some regions (avidhava = not a widow, that is, a woman whose husband is living).
• Chaturdashi. For untimely and violent deaths, sometimes called Ghata or Ghayal Chaturdashi.
• Sarva Pitru Amavasya. The final day. All ancestors can be remembered together, including those whose tithi you do not know. The night is sometimes marked by lighting a lamp.
• Mahalaya Amavasya. This is the same day. The name Mahalaya is used widely, especially in Bengal, where the day is also the start of the Durga festival season.

The right time of day

Shraddha is traditionally performed in the afternoon part of the day, called Aparahna (roughly the fourth of five parts of the daylight hours). Within it, the best periods are the Kutapa muhurta and the Rohina muhurta, the eighth and ninth of the fifteen muhurtas of daylight. In practice they fall close to midday. Tarpan on its own is commonly done in the morning, after bath.

Because the tithi changes during the day, the day to observe is the one on which the tithi is present in the Aparahna, not necessarily the day it begins at sunrise. This is different from most festivals, which follow the sunrise tithi. This site shows the Kutapa and Aparahna times for your city, so you can plan accordingly. Pre-dawn and late evening are generally avoided for ancestor rites.

What is traditionally avoided

Tradition treats these days as quiet and remembering days, not celebratory ones. Many families, especially in the north and west, avoid starting new things during the fortnight. This includes buying a vehicle, a house or gold, weddings and house-warming ceremonies. This is custom and calendar practice rather than a threat, and families differ widely. Some buy essentials as usual. If a purchase or event cannot wait, ask your family elders.

Common food customs during the observance are a simple, satvik meal without onion and garlic. Masoor dal and some other foods are left out of the Shraddha meal in many families.

Observing it in the USA

If the day falls on a working day, many people do a short Tarpan early in the morning and the food offering at midday or after work, with the family. Weekends can be used for a gathering with a priest. For the details, see the guide on Shraddha in the USA.

Traditions vary. Follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance.