Kathmandu. The Sixteen Shraddha or Pitri Paksha, which begins every year from the Krishna Pratipada of Ashwin, is beginning from today. The calendar (almanac) approved by the Nepal Panchanga Nirikh Bikas Samiti states that today is the day when the Pratipada Tithi Shraddha should be performed. The committee member and theologian Prof. Dr. Devmani Bhattarai informed that the Pindadan of the Pratipada Tithi Shraddha should be done by afternoon.

Since tarpan, sidadaan and Pindadan are performed with respect to the deceased ancestors on the sixteen dates from the Krishna Pratipada of Ashwin to the Shukla Pratipada of Ashwin, it is called Sohra Shraddha. This time is also known as Apar, Pret Paksha, etc.

According to the Vedic Sanatan Hindu classical tradition, Sohra Shraddha is performed according to the Vedic Sanatan Hindu tradition of remembering ancestors with devotion and devotion before performing festivals, yagnas and major works. It is believed that the ancestors are waiting for them at this time.

It is believed that by performing the sixteen Shraddha in this way, one fulfills one’s sense of responsibility towards the ancestors and is freed from ancestral debts. According to the religious scholar Prof. Toyaraj Nepal, the Shraddha is performed based on the scriptures that not performing the Shraddha in this regard is an unforgivable sin. He also said that there is a scripture that says that the sixteen Shraddha should be performed in the afternoon. According to the religious scholar Nepal, the sixteen Shraddha should not be skipped except in cases of family cleansing, posthumous cleansing, and when the wife is menstruating.

There are many options given in the scriptures when the sixteen Shraddha is stopped due to some reason. There is a law that the sixteen Shraddha should be performed on the date of the father. According to the Aap Dharma, if for some reason it is stuck, there is a scripture that says that it can be performed from Ashwin Krishna Aunsi to Ashwin Shukla Panchami.

Even during this time, if due to some reason, the sixteen Shraddhas cannot be performed, they can be performed on the days of Kartik Krishna Aunsi, i.e. Lakshmi Puja. If it is not possible to perform it even on Kartik Krishna Aunsi, it can be performed by extending it until Scorpio Sankranti, i.e. Mangsir, as mentioned in the classical text Dharmasindhu.

The sixteen Shraddhas that have been stopped on Ashwin Shukla Panchami, Ashtami, Dwadashi and Aunsi, Bharani Nakshatra and Vyatipat Yoga, can be performed on any date, according to the classical text, which is given in the religious texts Nirishsindhu, Dharmasindhu and other religious texts.

If even then the sixteen Shraddhas cannot be performed, those who can do it themselves, or those who cannot, can chant 108 mantras daily through a Brahmin, he said. Such chanting should be done methodically for 10 months. It is also believed that the ancestors will be satisfied through this method.

The committee chairman Prof. Shambhu Prasad Dhakal said that it is not scriptural to perform the sixteen Shraddhas in the afternoon on the day of the father’s birthday, as it has been reported that some priests are saying that they should perform the Shraddha in the morning, which is convenient for them.

With the end of the Pitru Paksha, the Durga Paksha, or Bada Dussai, begins. There is a scriptural opinion that sixteen Shraddhas are performed to appease the ancestors before celebrating Bada Dashain. It has been a Vedic tradition to perform the Karma of Appeasing the ancestors before celebrating big festivals or festivals. (RSS)