Honouring our ancestors with gratitude
During the 16 days of Pitru Paksh, it is believed that portals to the Pitrulok, the realm of ancestors, open so that they can visit us. It is believed that during this time, they want to establish contact with us and seek our help for their release and onward journey.
The practice of propitiating the ancestors has been there since antiquity, not just in India but across the world. In several countries, certain days are marked when portals are believed to open at those locations, and people make offerings to their ancestors. It is called the Hungry Ghost Festival in China, Singapore, and Malaysia, also referred to as the Zhongyuan. In Indonesia and Bali, it is called Hari Raya Galungan; in Thailand, Sat Thai; in Cambodia, Pchum Ben; in Celtic countries, Kalan Gwav; in Europe, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
Feeding, nurturing and serving cows and bulls deserve a special mention in satiating the Pitrus. Across countries and civilisations, cows have been revered as the mother, and the Nandi bull is the foremost among Shivganas. These beings are highly sensitive and aid the journey of the spirit in mysterious ways. Our shastras regard the cows and bulls as equivalent to brahmins and yogis. The service and feeding of sick, injured, abandoned, unproductive, accident-struck cows and bulls, especially male calves, during Pitru Paksh bring maximum satisfaction to the ancestors and pave the way for a happy, fruitful life.
Our scriptures describe the Vaitarni River, which all souls must cross after leaving the body. This crossing can be an excruciating and terrifying experience for the soul. However, it is said that the river can be crossed effortlessly by holding the tail of a cow or bull. Yet only those who have performed gau seva during their lifetime, or whose future generations will serve cows and bulls in their shed, will be able to find one after death.
Many people have observed that whenever a good soul leaves the body, a cow appears out of nowhere. This is not a coincidence. Shastras say that all devas reside in the body of the cow. Scriptures say that before moving on, the souls due to journey to higher dimensions pass through the body of the cow for purification. The cow has been likened to a Brahmin in our texts. Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.9.10, details the qualities of brahmin as being perfectly religious, truthful, in full control of his senses, austere, detached, humble, tolerant, free from envy, expert in performing sacrifices and giving whatever he has in charity, fixed in devotional service and expert in the knowledge of the Vedas. It is said that feeding a cow is equivalent to feeding a brahmin.
In Jyotish, astrology, disturbances caused by the dissatisfaction of ancestors are termed as pitru dosh. Our shastras prescribe paying off the debts we owe to our ancestors, who are responsible for granting us this birth and the body within our lifetime, with gratitude. This process is called Shraadh.
Dhyan Foundation will conduct yajnas and gaubhoj till Sarva Pitru Amavasya, Oct 2
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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