Tarpan vidhi: offering water to ancestors at home

What Tarpan is

Tarpan (Tarpana) means "to satisfy" or "to refresh". You offer water, usually with black sesame, first to the gods, then to the sages, and then to the ancestors. It is the simplest ancestor rite. It needs no priest and takes about 15 to 25 minutes once you know the order.

The steps below follow a widely used pattern. Different Vedic schools (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda) and regions have their own texts, with small differences in the words and the number of offerings. A common pattern is one offering for each god, two for each sage and three for each ancestor, but counts differ. Traditions vary. Follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance. If you already have a family method, keep it.

When to do it

• Choose a day from the guide on Shraddha days: Amavasya, the death tithi, Pitru Paksha and so on.
• Do it in the morning after bath and before the midday meal, with an empty or light stomach. The Kutapa period near midday is also good if you are doing a Shraddha along with Tarpan.
• Avoid pre-dawn and the evening.

Items you need

• Kusha or darbha grass: a few blades, plus one ring made of two blades (pavitri) for the ring finger of the right hand.
• Black sesame seeds (til), about two tablespoons.
• A small copper or steel vessel with clean water. Sesame goes into the water for the ancestors' offering (some families use it at every step). Avoid iron.
• A wide plate or tray to catch the water. A steel or copper plate is fine.
• A small cup or spoon to pour from, and a mat or folded cloth to sit on.
• A clean towel or cloth to wear over the shoulder (explained below), and clean, preferably white or plain, clothes.
• Optionally: white rice or barley (yava) for the god and sage offerings, flowers, an incense stick or lamp, and a photo of the ancestors.

Before you begin

1. Bathe and put on clean clothes. A cotton or silk dhoti or kurta for men and a sari or plain suit for women are common.
2. Choose a quiet corner. Place the mat so that later you can face south.
3. Wear the kusha ring on the right ring finger. Spread a few blades of kusha on the mat as a seat if you have them.
4. Sit calmly and take three sips of water (achamana) to purify yourself.
5. Make the sankalpa, the resolve, in your own words if you do not know the Sanskrit. For example: "Today is [tithi, month], I am [your name] of [gotra] gotra, and I offer water to my ancestors for their peace and satisfaction." Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation if you want to use the traditional Sanskrit form.

The three positions of the sacred thread

Men who wear the sacred thread (yajnopavita or janeu) change its position at each stage. If you do not wear one, a clean towel or cloth over the shoulder does the same job. Women usually do not wear the thread, and may simply follow the direction and hand positions.

Steps of the Tarpan

1. Offering to the gods, facing east

Keep the thread in the savya position. Face east. Take a little water with a few grains of rice or barley, if you wish, and pour it from the tips of the fingers (the deva tirtha). Use a simple line such as:

ॐ देवाः तृप्यन्ताम् Om devāḥ tṛpyantām, meaning "May the gods be satisfied."

You may also name Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Prajapati if you know the lines from your family tradition.

2. Offering to the sages, facing north

Change the thread to nivita, hanging around the neck. Face north. Pour the water from the side of the palm below the little finger (the rishi or prajapatya tirtha). Many traditions give two offerings each.

ॐ ऋषयः तृप्यन्ताम् Om ṛṣayaḥ tṛpyantām, meaning "May the sages be satisfied."

Some families name the sages Sanaka, Sanandana and others, or the seven rishis. Follow your family's habit.

3. Offering to the ancestors, facing south

Change the thread to apasavya, over the right shoulder. Sit facing south, the direction of the ancestors. Add black sesame to the water. Pour it with the right hand so the water runs from the part of the hand between the thumb and the forefinger (the pitru tirtha), onto the plate or tray.

For each person, say the gotra, their relationship, and their name, and then pour three anjalis (some traditions pour once or twice). The usual form is:

[gotra] gotra asmat-pitā [name] sharmā vasu-rūpas tṛpyatām, idam tilodakam tasmai svadhā namaḥ

This means roughly: "Of [gotra] lineage, my father [name], in the form of the Vasus, may you be satisfied. This sesame water is for you, svadha, salutations." Svadha is the exclamation used for offerings to ancestors.

Use the same pattern for the others, changing the title and the form:

A woman uses her husband's gotra when naming her husband's family, and a man names his mother in his father's gotra. For the maternal line (mother's father, his father and grandfather, and their wives), use the gotra of the mother's family and the words mātāmaha for maternal grandfather. If you do not know the gotra of an ancestor, many people use Kashyapa, a general gotra, in its place. This is a common practice when the gotra is unknown, but ask your priest if you can.

4. Others who are remembered

After the main ancestors, you may offer one anjali or more for others who have passed: brothers, sisters, wife or husband, sons, uncles and aunts, teachers, friends and relatives with no one to offer for them. You can say a general line:

ॐ पितृभ्यः स्वधा नमः Om pitṛbhyaḥ svadhā namaḥ, meaning "Salutations to the ancestors, svadha."

5. Closing

1. Return the thread to savya, face east again, and sit quietly for a minute.
2. Pray for the peace of your ancestors and for harmony in the family. Ask pardon for any mistake in the rite.
3. Pour the water from the plate on a tree or plant, not on the floor or a drain. See the notes in the guide on Shraddha in the USA.
4. Wash your hands. If you plan a meal, the first portion can be offered to the ancestors before the family eats.

Simplified version for beginners

If you are new to the rite or short of time, this version takes about five to ten minutes and is acceptable to many families:

1. Bathe, sit facing south in clean clothes, with a little sesame in a cup of water.
2. Say your name, gotra and the purpose: "I offer this water for the peace of my ancestors."
3. Pour three small offerings of water from the right hand for your father, three for your grandfather, three for your great-grandfather, and three for the maternal line. Name each person.
4. Say "Om pitṛbhyaḥ svadhā namaḥ" and finish with a minute of silence.
5. Pour the water on a plant.

If something is missing

• No kusha. Indian grocery stores and online temple shops sell it. If you cannot get it, some traditions accept durva grass in its place. Use clean grass that has not been treated with chemicals, and ask your priest what your tradition allows.
• No black sesame. White sesame or plain water is accepted by many. Ask your priest what your tradition allows.
• No sacred thread. Use a clean cloth, as described above.
• No copper vessel. Use a clean steel bowl or glass jar.
• No priest. For Tarpan this is not required.

Notes on the rite

• If your father is living, some families allow only the maternal line, or only the rites for the departed on the mother's side. Others allow all. Ask your priest if this applies to you.
• Tarpan is not a Shraddha. A Shraddha includes cooked food and usually pindas. See the guide on Pind Daan.
• Women may perform Tarpan in many families. See the guide on who can perform.