Guide to Pujas, Festivals and Homas

Pitru Paksha 2019: Pitru Paksha, a 16 day lunar period in Hindu calendar begins on Friday, September 13 and concludes on Saturday, September 28. Pitru Paksha is a ritual performed for the dead ancestors. Hindus pay homage to their ancestors during this period.

Pitru Paksha is also known as Pitru Pakshya, Pitri Pokkho, Sola Shraddha, Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya Paksha and Apara Paksha. The word ‘Pitras’ means ‘Ancestors’ and ‘Paksha’ means ‘A particular time’. It is considered to be an inauspicious time. No good task is done during this period.

During the ceremony, the death rites that are performed is termed ‘Tarpan’ or ‘Shraddha’. It is believed that performing the Pitru Dosha blesses the entire family. It is performed only by the male members of the family.

Pitru Paksha 2019 Dates

Date	Day	Shraddha
13 September 2019	Friday	Purnima Shraddha
14 September 2019	Saturday	Pratipada Shraddha
15 September 2019	Sunday	Dwitiya Shraddha
16 September 2019	Monday	Tritiya Shraddha
17 September 2019	Tuesday	Chaturthi Shraddha
18 September 2019	Wednesday	Maha Bharani, Panchami Shraddha
19 September 2019	Thursday	Shashti Shraddha
20 September 2019	Friday	Saptami Shraddha
21 September 2019	Saturday	Ashtami Shraddha
22 September 2019	Sunday	Navami Shraddha
23 September 2019	Monday	Dashami Shraddha
24 September 2019	Tuesday	Ekadashi Shraddha
25 September 2019	Wednesday	Dwadashi Shraddha
26 September 2019	Thursday	Trayadoshi Shraddha
27 September 2019	Friday	Magha Shraddha
28 September 2019	Saturday	Sarva Pitra Amavasya

Why do we perform Pitru Paksha?

We perform Pitru Paksha Puja because:

• It ensures that the ancestors go to heaven.
• It is believed that the live members of the family won’t be in peace if the ancestors are not resting in peace. The family will keep facing some of the other problems.
• Not performing the puja can make the women of the family not have children.
• It ensures that the ancestors rest in peace by clearing their sins.

What is the history of Pitru Paksha ritual?

According to mythology, the reason for performing Pitru Paksha relates to King Karna, the son of the Sun God from Mahabharata. King Karna was always deeply involved in charity and could never say no to anybody. After his death in the Mahabharat war, when he went to heaven, he was offered food made of gold. 

He asked the Gods why such a great was offered food this way even after doing so much charity. He was told that this was because he only offered gold as a charity and not food. King Karna neither offered food and water to his ancestors nor the poor people. Realizing his mistake, King Karna wanted to correct it. The Gods thus decided to let Karna return to Earth for 15 days to feed the poor. This helped him to get rid of the problem. This period is called Pitru Paksha.

Who can perform Pitru Paksha ritual?

The son of the dead ancestor performs the Pitru Paksha. If the person has no son, any other male member can perform the Puja. In cases where a person has more than one son, the eldest son performs the Puja.

Where do we perform Pitru Karma?

• One can perform the Puja in a lake beside their house.
• They can also perform this Puja at the banks of a river.
• One can also visit Gaya or Varanasi to perform the Puja.

Materials required to perform Pitru Paksha 2019

The materials required to perform Pitru Paksha are:

• White rice, A bucket of water, Piece of Kush grass (with roots attached), and Black till for performing the Tarpan.
• Ghee, 5 pairs of Puri/Suhari and Sweet rice, Black Till, Camphor, 1 Diya, Wood, Mango leaves, Lota with water and prepared food to take outside for performing the Havan.
• Prepared meals, or 3 or 5 pairs of Suhari/Puri and sweet rice for performing the Bhojan.

How to perform Pitru Paksha in 2019?

The ceremony of Pitru Paksha consists of three parts. These are:

• Tarpan
• Havana
• Bhojan

Method of offering Tarpan:

• Mix the black till and white rice into the bucket of water. After that plant the Kush grass on the southern side of you. Then tie the Kush grass into a knot.
• Join your hands together and allow the water to scoop down your palms.
• Face the east and offer the ‘Jal’ with hands to the sun and recite 3 times, “Om Sri Suriyaayaai Namah.”
• Face the south and offer Tarpan with hands to the deceased ancestor. Do it 3 times for each ancestor in the following way: (Call the name of deceased) and recite “Pitra Swaadhaa”.
• Offer Tarpan 3 times. Say “Sarva Pitra Swaadhaa”

Method of performing Havan:

• Face south with the Havan Kund in front of. Say “Om Namo Narayana Namah” seven times. Spend a few moments reflecting on the forefathers who are honoured with Pitra Havan.
• Set the fire and make ghee offerings to the forefathers. Recite the same mantras as the Tarpan.
• Mix the ghee, black till, puri and sweet rice together.
• Make the offerings like the Tarpan using this mixture.
• Take the prepared food for forefathers outside.

Method of performing Bhojan:

• At least three people should accompany you.
• Take the food and a lighting piece of stick or camphor to the back of your house.
• Place the fire down and the food and water down in a neat way.
• Pause for a while to seek the protection of these souls and then turn around and leave.
• You should not look at the food you have offered.

What are the rules for performing the Pitru Paksha ritual?

The rules for performing the Pitru Paksha are:

• The male performing the Puja should bathe before performing the Puja.
• The male performing the Puja should wear a Dhoti.
• He should wear a ‘Kush Grass’ ring.
• He should be bare-chested.
• The person performing the Puja should not have anything negative in his mind.
• Do not do anything ‘new’ during this time. Like engagement, wedding, buying property etc.
• Avoid eating non-vegetarian food, onion, garlic, jeera, mustard oil etc.
• Do not harm any living beings during this period.

What is the cost of performing Pitru Paksha?

The cost of performing Pitru Paksha starts from as low as Rs 25 and can go up to Rs 5000.

The pandit performs the puja for a group of people together at the lower budget and the size of the group decreases with the increase in the budget. The budget ranges from Rs 2500-5000 if a Pandit dedicates himself to perform your Puja. This includes the cost of ingredients and donations.

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Pitra Dosh Puja is performed by a person born under the ninth house where Sun and Rahu combine. If someone’s ancestors have not attained peace due to religious rituals at the time of death then this Dosha develops in the horoscope of the person.

For NRI’s who cannot come to India, we arrange for Pitra Dosh Puja remotely at the Pandit’s place. Pooja will be performed on your name and gothra. Pooja will be live streamed and pooja videos will be shared with you on whatsapp. Pooja will be performed by Pandit Rahul Karnatak who is a very experienced priest and featured in The Times of India. Contact us now for booking this pooja.

Pitra Dosh is a very important aspect in the Indian astrology and one should amend it as soon as possible without any delay. It generally occurs when the ancestors find it very hard to free themselves from the ties on earth and results in hardships. If the pitras are happy with the devotion, then they surely clear all the path to happiness as well as success.

Where to perform Pitra Dosh Puja?

• It is best to perform the Puja at Trimbakeshwar Temple, Nashik.
• It can also be performed in Badrinath, Trimbakeshwar, Rameshwaram, Haridwar or Gaya by a learned priest following all the rituals.
• This pooja can also be performed in Kasganj (U.P.), Bhimashankar temple (Maharashtra), Kaithal (Haryana), Mahamaya Mandir at Ratanpur( Chhattisgarh).
• Moreover, this puja can also take place at Jabalpur, Gangasagar, Ujjain, Jagannathpuri, Pushkar, Chitrakoot, Rishikesh, Kashi Vishwanath and Prayag-Triveni.

Who should perform Pitra Dosh Puja and why?

• According to the ancient text, Pitra Dosh occurs if any forefathers up to the 4th generation on the mother’s side had an early death.
• This dosh also arises if the 7th generation on the father’s side had an unnatural death or expired at a very early age.
• It is also very important to respect the parental desires of the ancestors and follow some good deeds.
• If one does not follow this, then souls of the ancestors never rest in peace and become Pitra Dosh.
• If a person does not perform pooja for their ancestors then he might suffer from the curse of “Pitra Dosh”.

What are the benefits of doing Pitra Dosh Puja?

Pitra Dosh Puja has the following benefits:

• If a person does good for the upliftment and peace of their ancestors then he is sure to seek many blessings.
• It is also seen that if a person does pitra dosh pooja then it removes all the obstacles and problems from his path.
• This pooja also provides with harmonious and cordial family relations and the family life becomes very smooth.
• This puja also provides peace of mind and provides financial stability.
• This pooja also helps to eradicate acute diseases and relief from bad effects of the malefic planets and cures any destruction.
• It also protects the family from any evil energies and gives them the strength to overcome all the hurdles of their lives very easily.
• This pooja is a very powerful tool to overcome the bad conditions. It also revives good fortune and positive energy all around.

When should I perform this pooja?

• Amavasya and Ashtami are generally the best days to perform the Pitru Dosh Niwaran.
• Some people also perform this pooja on Pitru Paksha.
• Moreover, this Pooja should take place on the last day of Pitra Paksha. Depending upon the Kundli of the person and consulting the expert this pooja should take place.

How to perform Pitra Dosh Pooja?

What are the materials required for Pitra Dosh Pooja?

Materials Required	Materials Required
Ashtagandha	Kaccha Soot
Abeer / Gulal	Kapoor
Incense Sticks	Rice
Elaichi	Red Cloth
Ganga Mitti	Napkin
Ganga Jal	Sapt-Dhanya
Ghee	Wheat
Jaggery	Flowers
New Clothes (including Gamcha and Dhoti for men and new sarees for women)	Cow Dung
Turmeric powder
Honey
Sindoor

What are the types of Pitra Dosh Puja?

There are three types of Pitra Dosh Puja performed at Trimbakeshwar. They are:

• Narayan Nagbali Puja: This is a three day Puja. It is performed by the River. It is a very elaborate procedure. There are three parts of this Puja and requires complete dedication.
• Tri Pindh Shradh: This is a one day Puja. This Puja is beside the Kundh.
• Teerth Shradh: This Puja is performed at the house of the Pandit. This is also a one day Puja.

What is the Cost of performing Pitra Dosh Puja?

Pitra Dosh Puja is a day’s Puja. It takes around 3 hours to complete the Puja. Contact us for pricing.

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Kali puja is celebrated on October 27, 2019. It is dedicated to Goddess Kali. Moreover, the pooja removes the negative influence of the Saturn planet and negative energies like ego, anger and jealousy. This is also known as Shyama Puja and is popular in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Eastern India.

Kali Puja
Start Date	27 October 2019
Location	Kolkata, West Bengal

Goddess Kali is believed to be the first incarnation of Goddess Durga. Along with Goddess Kali people also worship Goddess Laxmi on this day. Moreover, takes place in the Bengali month of Kartik on the new moon day.

Obviously, the deity’s name comes from the Sanskrit name ‘Kala’ which means black or lord of death. oddess Kali is the destroyer of evils.  

When is Kali Puja 2019?

• This year in 2019, Kali Puja will be celebrated on the 27th of October.
• On this year, Diwali is also on the 27th of October and will be celebrated together with Kali Puja.
• Furthermore, the Amavasya Tithi for the Puja begins at 12:23 pm on 27th October and ends at 9:08 am on 28th October.

Kali Puja Dates

Year	Date	Day
2019	27 October	Sunday
2020	14 November	Saturday
2021	04 November	Thursday
2022	24 October	Monday
2023	12 November	Sunday
2024	31 October	Thursday
2025	20 October	Monday

Who should perform Kali Puja?

Here is who should perform Kali Puja:

• The person who is suffering from any family problems or financial issues should perform this puja.
• It also boosts the confidence of the devotee and provides positivity and stamina to him/her. 
• If a person is suffering from any disease or illness then he/she should perform this puja. 
• Devotees also perform this puja to get rid of all the negative people from life.
• Furthermore, Goddess Kali also protects the devotees from mental and physical issues.
• People suffering from any type of negativities or painful events in life.
• However, any obstacles in married life can be removed by performing Kali puja which helps in building a happy married life.
• Performing this puja also protects the devotee from all the forms of black magic.

What are the benefits of performing this Pooja?

The benefits of performing Kali puja are:

• This puja removes all types of negative energies from the home and workplace.
• Along with that it also protects the devotees and lifts up their stamina.
• Moreover, Goddess Kali is the most powerful and strongest form of Goddess Durga. She also fills happiness in the house of devotees.
• The puja removes all kind of impurities. Also, it removes darkness from the life of devotees.
• Further, it helps to recover from prolonged illness and also from many incurable illnesses.
• The puja also safeguards a person from the evil spirit and black magic.
• Further, removing all the obstacles while running a business and bring success in education and career.
• Moreover, it protects the person from the bad influence of planet Saturn.

In what circumstances should one perform Kali Pooja?

• One should perform Kali Puja on Kartik Amavasya in the month of October or November.
• Most of the time, Kali Puja and Diwali Puja fall on the same day. But sometimes, it may fall one day before the Diwali Puja.
• Nevertheless, many devotees worship Goddess Lakshmi on Amavasya during Diwali.
• Many devotees also perform the Kali puja during Navratri that precedes Diwali.
• People suffering from ill effects of Shani should offer prayers to Goddess Kali on Kali Chaudas which is Dhantrayodashi.
• Nevertheless, one must perform Dus Maha Vidya Mahakali Puja to get rid of negativity.

How to do Kali Puja at home?

What is the Mantra for this Puja?

The Mantra for Kali Puja is:

• Dhyan: During this, the Devotees sit in front of the deity and meditate. Also some mantras are chant during this time.

Sadyashchhinna-Shirah Kripanamabhayam Hastairvaram Bibhratim।
Ghorasyam Shirasam Srajam Suruchiramunmukta-Keshavalim॥
Srikkasrik-Pravaham Shmashan-Nilayam Shrutyoh Shavalankritim।
Shyamangi Krita-Mekhalam Shava-Karairdevim Bhaje Kalikam॥

• Avahan: The Avahan Mantra is also chanted during the Puja. Here, it is :

Om Deveshi! Bhakti-Sulabhe! Parivar-Samanvite!
Yavat Tvam Pujayishyami. Tavat Tvam Susthira Bhava॥

Dushpare Ghora Sansara Sagare Patitam Sada।
Trayasva Varade, Devi! Namaste Chit-Paratmike॥

Ye Deva. Yashcha Devyashcha. Chalitayam Chalanti Hi।

Avahayami Tan Sarvan Kalike. Parameshwari॥
Pranan Raksha. Yasho Raksha. Raksha Daran. Sutan, Dhanam।

Sarva Raksha Kari Yasmat Tvam Hi Devi. Jaganmaye॥
Pravishya Tishtha Yagyesmin. Yavat Pujam Karomyaham।

Sarvananda Kare Devi! Sarva Siddhim Prayachchha Me॥
Tishthatra Kalike Matah! Sarva-Kalyana-Hetave।
Pujam Grihana Sumukhi! Namaste Shankara-Priye॥

• Pushpanjali: The Pushpanjali Mantra also makes part of the mantras chanted during the puja. Here it is :

(I)

Nana Ratna Samayuktam. Karta Swar Vibhushitam।
Asanam Deva-Deveshi! Prityartham Prati Grihyatam॥

(II)

Om Shrikali Devyai Namah. Padayoh Padyam Samarpayami।
Om Shrikali Devyai Namah. Shirasi Arghyam Samarpayami।

Omm Shri Kali Devyaee Namah. Gandhakshatam Samarpayami।
Omm Shri Kali Devyaee Namah. Pushpam Samarpayami।

Om Shri Kaali Devyai Namah. Dhupam Ghrapayami।
Om Shri Kaali Devyai Namah. Dipam Darshayami।

Omm Shrikali Devyaee Namah. Naivedyam Samarpayami।
Omm Shrikali Devyaee Namah. Achamaniyam Samarpayami।

Om Shri Kaali Devyai Namah. Tambulam Samarpayami।

(III)

Om Maha-Kalyai Namah। Anena Pujanena Shrikali Devi Priyatam; Namo Namah।

What are the materials required for this Puja?

The materials for the puja are:

Kumkum	Burning Lighter Fluid
Coconut	Urad Dal
Ashtagandha	Kali Bahuli
Supari	Betel Leaves with stem
Panch Dhatu	Colors
Sandalwood	Purnapatre
Kapus ( Cotton Balls)	Akshata

• Furthermore, you need seven types of grains like White Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Green Peas, Chickpeas, Brown Lentil, Gram etc.
• One will also require Hawan Samagri, Shankha, Haldi, Rice Grains, Kalash, Ganga Jal.
• Nevertheless, Niranjan, Kapur, Pure Ghee, Gud, Dhoop are also important.

What is the cost of performing Kali Puja?

• The price to perform this puja ranges from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 6500. However, this includes the cost of the materials required to perform the puja.
• Moreover, one can also consult an expert regarding the technique and procedure to perform the puja.

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