śrāddha

Śrāddha (or ''Shradda''; sa, श्राद्ध) is any act that is performed with all sincerity and absolute faith in it. In the Hindu religion, it is the ritual that one performs to pay homage to one's ' ancestors' (Sanskrit: Pitṛs), especially to one's dead parents. Conceptually, it is a way for people to express heartfelt gratitude and thanks towards their parents and ancestors, for having helped them to be what they are and praying for their peace. It also can be thought of as a "day of remembrance". It is performed for both the father and mother separately, on their respective 'thithi' – death anniversaries as per the Hindu Calendar. In addition it is performed for the entire community of 'pitr' – both from paternal and maternal side – collectively during the Pitru Paksha or ''Shraaddha'' paksha (Fortnight of ancestors), right before ''Sharad Navaratri'' in autumn.

Etymology

'Śrāddha' means 'confidence, devotion', stemming from Proto-Indo-Iranian ''*ćraddʰaH-'' ('believe, have trust in'), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European compound ''*ḱred-dʰeh₁-'' ('to put one's heart into somebody' > 'to believe'). It is cognate with the Latin ''crēdo'' ('to entrust, give credence'), the Old Avestan ''zrazdā-'' ('devoted, trusting, believing'), or the Old Irish ''creitid'' ('believe'). Lubotsky, Alexander.
Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon
. ''Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project''. Leiden University. See entry ''Śrāddha-'' (online database).

Rituals

In practice, the karta (person who performs the Śrāddha) (1) invites Brahmanas (priests) that day, invokes in them the divinity of his/her parent, worships and feeds them (2) performs a homa (fire ritual), appeasing Agni and Soma – the deities who transmit the offerings to the ancestors, nourish and protect them and (3) offers balls of rice to the departed souls ("pinda pradaana", offered to the Pitṛs, the ancestral spirits).The offerings are made to three generations i.e. father, grandfather and great-grandfather / mother, fathers’mother, fathers’ grandmother.
The karta extends hospitality to the priest and concludes the ceremony by giving "dakshina" (fees) to the brahmanaas. (There are various other actions done to show respect to the Brahmanaas, like washing their feet etc. during the course of shraaddha). Crows are also revered in Hinduism and during Śrāddha the practice of offering food or pinda to crows is still in vogue.

Since this is one of the more important and noble "" (rituals meant to cleanse the mind and soul) that the Hindu sages have envisaged, it is imperative that the performer of the ritual understands what he or she is doing. Only then will the true intent of the ritual be fulfilled and the performer of the ritual feel completely gratified. Else, the ritual becomes just a mechanical exercise for one's part.

After death, the family performs the final riruals and holam. These rites are a reflection of a person’s life. They may also include Santhi-homam and Agni-homam. After the Santhi-homam, the body is sprinkled with Holy Water to cleanse it. Other rituals include offering food and applying herbs to the body. The Havan is performed in order to appease the God of Fire, Agni. During the homam, verses are recited while the performer asks the god to forgive the deceased’s mistakes and sins.

The Śrāddha period

The scripture mandate performing 96 Śrāddha karmas. However, these practices are difficult to be adhered to.
In addition, once in year offerings are to a larger universe of forefathers – during the pitr paksha.
In Hindu ''amanta'' calendar ( ending with ''amavasya'' ), second half of the month '' Bhadrapada'' is called Pitru Paksha: ''Pitṛpakṣa'' or ''Śrāddha pakṣa'' and its '' amavasya'' ( new moon ) is called ''sarvapitri amavasya''. This part is considered inauspicious in ''muhurtaśāstra'' (electional astrology). At this time (generally September) crops in India and Nepal are ready and the produce is offered as a mark of respect and gratitude (by way of pinda) first to the ancestors be they parents or forefathers before other festivals like ''Navaratri'' begin.

Many people visit Hindu pilgrimage sites to perform, ''Śrāddha'' ceremonies, like Pehowa, Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Gokarna, Nashik, Gaya etc. Haridwar is also known for its Hindu genealogy registers.

See also

* Antyesti
* Brahmin
* Hindu genealogy registers at Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh
* Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar