Mahalaya Sarva Pitru Shraadh Amavasya Mahapuja 21st September 2025

On the occasion of Sarva Pitru Amavasya on 21st  September, join us in performing Pitru Paksha Shradh Mahapuja for the departed.

It is time to honour the ones gone by. On the occasion of Sarva Pitru Amavasya on 21st  September, join us in performing Pitru Paksha Shradh Mahapuja for your ancestors. Sarva Pitru Amavasya is the last day of the Pitru Paksha period(7th September - 21st  September) and is also called Mahalaya. On this day, Shradh of all souls can be done irrespective of their date/tithi of death. This puja would include prayers for the deceased ancestors from Father’s side and deceased ancestors from Mother's side. One may include deceased siblings, relatives, friends, children and even teachers in the prayer.

Pitru Paksha is a 16-day period of the year during which one pays respect to one's dead relatives and ancestors in the form of Tarpan, Pind daan, donations, ritual prayer and mantra offerings in order to liberate them, please them, seek forgiveness, and be rid of Pitru Dosha (ancestral curse). According to the Brahma Purana and other Vedic texts, devotion and rituals performed during Pitru Paksha assist these souls find peace and go to the next world.

Origin and significance

The Hindu scriptures state that every person carries multiple types of spiritual “debt” in life, from the moment they’re born. Throughout his or her life, each individual must find a way to repay those debts. One debt is known as the “ancestral loan,” or Pitru Runa. Pitru Paksha is the time every year when everyone has the opportunity to make this “payment” towards their ancestral loan debt. Hindu texts also state that three generations of ancestors from your family tree reside in an in-between realm called Pitriloka after death. For 16 days each year, during Pitru Paksha, the god of death, Yamraja or Yama frees the ancestors to accept gifts from their descendants. It is believed that through the medium of Pitru paksha rituals, the performer can help them achieve salvation.

Shradh is a social and religious obligation imposed on all Hindus. The significance attributed to the birth of a son in India reflects the necessity to guarantee that a male descendent would conduct the Shradh ritual after one's death. Even women nowadays do Shradh for their ancestors. The ritual is carried out in memory of the dead father, grandpa, and great-grandfather, as well as the mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. It also liberates the family members or close friends who got untimely death through abortion, miscarriage, accident, suicide etc. Its purpose is to feed, protect, and assist the souls of the deceased on their journey from the lower to the higher realms, prior to their reincarnation and reappearance on Earth.

Shradh is celebrated in order for the spirits of the departed to find peace and freedom. It is done to satisfy and appease the unfulfilled wants of spirits stuck in this world as a result of strong cravings that remain in the soul even after death. The Shradh rites assist in liberating these spirits, cleansing them of all misdeeds, and allowing them to rest in peace. The significance and relevance of Shradh puja is described in many Hindu Puranas, including Agni Purana, Garuda Purana, and Matysa Purana. According to the Garuda Purana, spirits who do not receive Pind daan, Tarpan, and other offerings roam aimlessly on Earth and create disturbance in life of their loved ones in order to seek attention.

Performing Shradh rites for the dead is regarded a meritorious deed, and it is thought that when one's ancestors are happy, even Gods are pleased, and the native is showered with benefits of peace, wealth, development, and the well-being of one's offsprings.

This is a group puja performed by 14 priests. 51 Pitru-Tarpan, 51 Dev Tarpan, 51 Rishi Tarpan, and 16 Pind Daan would be performed individually for each Yajaman by 1 priest. Pujan, mantra japa, and homa would be typical. You can include the names of deceased souls from your side as well as your name and gotra/birth information as the performer of this ritual. No sankalpa is required for this puja. Note that the karta (performer) of this puja is only one individual and it would be done for ancestors and deceased blood relatives and close friends of his/her side.

In Shradh rituals, Pind Daan is a sacred offering made to the departed souls in the form of rice balls known as pindas. These pinds are typically made using a mixture of cooked rice, black sesame seeds (til), barley or wheat flour, ghee, and holy water. The pind represents the subtle body (sūkṣma sharīra) of the departed soul and is offered with devotion to aid their journey in the afterlife, grant them peace, and help resolve any lingering karmic attachments.

In Shradh or Pitru Dosh Puja a total of 16 Pindaas are offered:

• 12 pindas are offered for the 12 months of the year, covering the annual cycle of remembrance.
• 1 additional pind is offered to cover any unidentified or missed ancestor—ensuring that no soul is left unacknowledged.
• 3 pindas are offered to the Trinity—Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Mahesh (Shiva, the transformer)—as a gesture of cosmic balance and divine support.

Pitru Paksha Shradh Mahapuja Benefits:

• Blessings of healthy offsprings, pleasant family connections, and family development.
• Relieves one of Pitru dosha
• Blessings of financial stability and success.
• Blessings of relief from bodily and mental illnesses and disorders.
• Other malevolent consequences of Pitru Dosha are alleviated.

Pitru Paksha Shradh Mahapuja Service Includes:

Kalash Sthapana, Panchang Sthapana (Gauri Ganesh, Punyavachan, Shodash Matrika, Navgraha, Sarvotabhadra), 64 yogini Pujan, Shetrapal Pujan, Swasti Vachan, Sankalpa, Ganesh Pujan and Abhishek, Panchayatan pujan, Vishnu abhishek and pujan, Purusuktam recitation, Vishnu Sahasranama path, 51 Pitru-Tarpan, 51 Dev Tarpan, 51 Rishi Tarpan, 16 Pind daan, Pitru Gayatri mantra japa 11,000 times, Pind Visarjan, Donation to Brahmins, Feeding to Cows, Dogs, Crows & Poor (Panchgras).

Sanskrit:  
ॐ पितृगणाय विद्महे।  
जगत् धारिणी धीमहि।  
तन्नो पितरो प्रचोदयात्॥

English:  
Om Pitriganaya Vidmahe  
Jagat Dharini Dhimahi  
Tanno Pitro Prachodayat

Translation:  
"We meditate upon the collective spirit of the ancestors, the sustainers of the world; may they inspire and guide us."

Number of Karmakandi Brahmins: 14  
Date: 21st  
Time: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm IST  

Puja will be Live Streamed.  

Since this is a Puja for the departed soul, no prasad is sent.

Please share the following details for the Sankalpa so the puja is offered in your name and for your well-being; no Sankalpa is needed for ancestral pujas.

1. Your Full Name
2. Current Location (City and Country)
3. Gotra (if known) 
   If Gotra is not known, kindly provide your birth details instead: 
   
   • Date of Birth
   • Time of Birth
   • Place of Birth (City, State, Country)

You may choose to perform the puja for one specific ancestor by providing their name, Gotra (if known), and your relation to them. Alternatively, you may specify the names, Gotra, and relations of up to three generations of deceased ancestors:

• Father’s Side: Up to three generations of departed ancestors, including their spouses
• Mother’s Side: Up to three generations of departed ancestors, including their spouses
• Unborn Children and Close Relatives: You may also include unborn children and other close family members

Even if no names are provided, it is completely acceptable. The Brahmins will perform the rituals with the sacred Sankalpa to include all known, unknown, and forgotten souls from your lineage, ensuring that no ancestor is left unhonoured.