They have always blessed us
Once again, the period for remembering those who have passed on, Shradh, is here. Shradh is a word synonymous with ‘shraddha.’ It is a rite that Hindus perform to pray for the peace of their ancestors who are no longer inhabitants of this earth.
History of Shradh
According to the Hindu text, Lord Brahma is the creator of all lives on earth. Mythology says that it was Lord Brahma himself who told about this rite to his son, Sage Arti. Which the sage passed down the generation. Manu, the first man on earth, was the first person to perform Shradh. It is also, for this reason, we call Manu the deity of this rite.
In ancient history and Mythology, we find many instances of Shradh. A noted one is Lord Rama performing it. When Varat went to Rama on Dasharath’s demise and urged him on being the King of Ayodhya, the lord declined. Then along with his brother, he performed the sacred rites of Shradh for King Dasharatha.
The Significance of Shradh
On a person’s demise, his soul reaches the ‘Pitru Region.’ This is a realm between heaven and the earth. On performing Shradh, we give the soul momentum to leaven the Pitru Region behind and ascend above into heaven.
Human souls have many wishes. Not all wishes see the light of fulfilment in their lifetime. Hence, many persons die with wishes they would still like to see come true. Shradh helps in fulfilling these wishes and urges of a soul.
Also, human beings are impure and they have many desires. Many times, those desires make them do things that aren’t right. With all the wrongdoings, a human soul is often levied with sins. Shradh reverses these sins and helps the souls of our ancestor’s rest in peace.
Three Stages of Shradh
There are three distinct stages in the rite of Shradh:
- Agnoukarana– In this stage, the son worships the wooden sticks and the pindas.
- Pinda Dana– In this part, the son offers pinda to the soul of the father.
- Brahmana Bhoj– Offering food to the Brahmanas to appease them is the last part of Shradh.
Shradh Today
Even today, the sons of Hindu society take this rite seriously. It shows a certain unification and cultural groundings of the persons of our society. Till date, we see sons praying for the peace of his ancestor’s souls during Pitru Paksha.
Unlike many other rituals and ceremonies that are slowly fading away, Shradh is one that is still performed with whole heart and devotion in our country.
Our Initiative
As these days come and we perform these spiritual rites, it also gives us an alarm to remember, take care and love the ones who are living. Be it our parents, our grandparents and all the old aged in our societies and pay gratitude to them for their unconditional support and blessings.
Keeping in mind this thought and vision, our organisation with the inspiration of our Maharajshri celebrates Shraddha Parv every year. Though there is no occasion to give thanks to our adults, yet the day has been specially dedicated to the aged members of our family at large to give a remembering call of how important our adults are.
Every year the organisation honours the selected ones with the Life Time achievement award to celebrate their contribution towards the society. The is also marked to celebrate the aged ones living in our old age homes. The occasion has it’s own beauty and makes us remember that it is very important to perform such rites when they are gone but is more important to show love, concern, care, empathy and respect when they are alive.
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With the divine blessings of HH Shri Sudhanshu Ji Maharaj and the enlightened guidance of Dr. Archika Didi Ji, the transformative 4-day Raghav Dhyan Sadhana Shivir unfolded successfully from December 2nd to 6th, 2023, in the sacred city of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Organised by Vishwa Jagriti Mission.