Today is the first day of Pitru Paksha, a two-week period dedicated to honoring the ancestors in many communities throughout the Indian diaspora. While specific traditions and rituals vary, the common intent is to remember and make offerings to honor and literally “nourish” the ancestors, to acknowledge their contributions and to offer gifts of gratitude in return. 

This tradition materializes the fact that we owe our lives to our parents and the family members who have gone before us. Rituals of remembrance are a way to honor their efforts and the wisdom they earned. As someone raised in a culture with relatively little ancestor worship and a degree of aversion towards death, there is a potency and sense of rightness to this annual remembrance that captivates me.

Pitru means “ancestors” in Sanskrit (like the Latin root, Pater), and Paksha refers to a two-week fortnight. Pitru Paksha is observed during the fortnight immediately following the Full Moon of the Hindu lunar month Bhādrapāda, which usually falls around September/October. This year, Pitru Paksha begins on today’s full moon and continues through the new moon on Tuesday, October 1. Rituals can be done on any day in this period, but the new moon day (amavasya) is considered the most significant.

One common ritual is called Tarpana, which comes from a Sanskrit root meaning “to nourish.” In this ceremony, offerings are made to each ancestor in one’s lineage. In some cases, “chosen” ancestors are honored as well, people who were meaningful and inspiring to us as elders, even if they weren’t related by blood. Through Tarpana, we make a gift or offering to express our gratitude, to appease or satisfy our ancestors, so they may be at peace. 

Expressing gratitude through ritual can feel profoundly meaningful, even if it has not been part of our personal tradition. For the past several years, I have been observing Pitru Paksha with a simple Tarpana ritual shared with me by some of my teachers (see below for more details). I go to a small creek near my house carrying the necessary ingredients. Naming each of my ancestors, making an offering for their happiness, and wishing them satisfaction transcends my typical experience of time. It feels good to honor their memory and their passing, and by extension to bring my own temporary status in this body into my awareness.

For those of us who may not know many details about some of our ancestors, Tarpana can be a way to forge a sense of relationship and to acknowledge their contributions that we may not even know about, which have nonetheless played a part in our existence today. We can draw strength from them and offer gratitude, which nourishes both the giver and receiver.

For those of us who have complex or contentious relationships with those who have passed, honoring our ancestors can be a way to create peace, both for them and for ourselves. We can pray for comfort, that we might feel forgiveness, and that we might one day live into a greater sense of resolution. In this way, our offerings can contribute to generational healing. We can ask for divine support in healing our own hurts and those of the souls who came before us.

Here is an outline of a simple Tarpana ritual to honor your ancestors. This teaching was shared with me by my teachers Dr. Claudia Welch and Dr. Ramkumar. They advised that anyone may do this simple ritual based on this guidance, keeping always your own intentions foremost in your heart that your ancestors may be nourished and pleased by your offering. 

A Simple Tarpana Ritual to Honor the Ancestors during Pitru Paksha

• Chose a day for your ritual during Pitru Paksha, between the full moon of Bhadrapāda (usually falling in September/October) and the new moon (including on the New Moon date, AKA “Amavasya” in Sanskrit, which some say is the most auspicious day for tarpana).
• It’s best to do between dawn and 12noon, but definitely must be during daylight
• Go to a body of water like a lake or stream, or if not available, prepare a large bowl of water
• Bring a small vessel of water, a small vessel of milk, and black sesame seeds (if not available, use plain sesame seeds)

Ritual Process

1. ARRIVE: Welcome all beings and spirits to be present with you. Acknowledge the 4 directions. Face the South (the ancestor spirits are traditionally believed to reside in the South). Acknowledge that you are not trying to control the spirits – just honoring them and maintaining your own faith in them. If you wish, keep an image or memory of a spiritual teacher or guide to be with you to help hold the space.
2. PREPARE OFFERING: Gather your vessels of milk, water, and black sesame seeds. Using a spoon, put a little of each in the palm of your RIGHT hand and make the offering mudra by bending your right index finger in towards the palm. When you make your offering, you will tilt your hand towards the thumb (the awkward way) letting the offering flow off your hand between the index finger and thumb into the body of water (or the bowl of water).
3. MAKE OFFERING: As you release the offering into the water, say the following mantra inserting your ancestor’s full name: “Jane Doe Trpyatām Trpyatām svadhā,” which means, “may Jane Doe be nourished and satisfied by this offering” (if you prefer, you can say it in English, or a variation of it that feels true). When you say “svadhā,” let the offering fall into the water. Remember the person as you say it, calling up any images or personal reflections on that person. You may also make any additional offerings unique to that person, such as a sweet they particularly loved. Make an offering for each person in your lineage who has died, taking time in between to remember them and send your wishes for their satiation and satisfaction.
4. After naming and honoring each of your ancestors, If you wish you can do tarpana for animals, plants, or other dead who aren’t ancestors. (DON’T do it for anyone who is still alive!)
5. CLOSE: At the end, take a few moments to sit in silence. Salute the spirits, thank them for their presence, and invite them to go back to where they came from. Request that if you’ve made any errors in ceremony, to please be forgiven. If you have been using a bowl of water, dispose of the contents of the bowl outside at the base of a tree or plant if possible.

If you want to explore Tarpana in more detail, you can consult the website of P.V.R. Narasimha Rao, a vedic astrologer who offers several versions of the ritual, from simple to elaborate (look for the link to download instruction manuals).

If you decide to try Tarpana this Pitru Paksha, please come share your experience in the Comment Section below. How did you feel as you did Tarpana? What did you notice? What was meaningful about it for you?