Srardha/Pitru Thrarpana-Why and How to do?-Hinduism.

‘How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child’-Shakespeare in King Lear.

We are what we are because of our parents.

Even those who talk of Free Will can never deny that one can not choose their parents,siblings and children.

We have a duty to remember parents for what we are to day-we also become parents.

Hinduism venerates parents.

Hinduism places those to be worshiped in this order.

Mother,Father,Teacher,Guest.

Then comes even God.

The Sastras declare’A woman may be of loose morals,but to her children she is God;a man may be a wastrel, to his children he is God.

To remember ancestors  Hindus perform Srardha ceremony yearly to pay their Gratitude to parents.

The Srardha is performed on the Moon‘s postion at the time of death, called Thithi.There are 15 Thithis.

On the appointed Thithi, the Srardha is to be performed by the Son for his parents.

A day has 60 Nazhikais.

The Srardha is to be performed on the day when the balance Thithi is present.

If a thithi is present in two days(they are in consecutive days)the Srardha should be performed not on the date that has maximum Nazhigai but on the succeeding day when the Thithi is present.

The most cardinal principle in performing the Srardha is the involvement-Sradhdhai.

‘A srathdhaya hudham Dhatham Thapasthaptham kruthancha yath I

Asathichyuchyathe Partha na cha thath prethya no iha II’

Srimad Bhagavad Gita-17.28

We find people doing it in a hurried manner because it has to be done.

This should never be done.

Better to skip Srardha rather than doing it mechanically with out involvement.

When should it be done.

Technically Srardha is to be performed Daily.

We have diluted it.

We should do it on Amavaasya,Newyear,Grahana kaala,Uththarayana, Dakshinayana and Mahalayam at least as Tharpana.

There is a practice of people performing Mahalaya Tharppana on the Thithi,Maha Barani,Navami and Dasami.

This is incorrect.

Mahalaya tharpana should be performed on all days of Mahalaya Paksha, preceded by Brahama yagnam.

Tharpana should also performed when one visits Kasi,Rameswaram,Prayag and Gaya.

Also prior to any auspicious functions , like Upanayanam,Vivaham,Sreemantham and Gruhaprevesam, Srardham called Nandhi Srardham must be performed.

Who are eligible to perform Srardha?

Brahmanas ,Kshatriyas and Vaisyas.

Sudras are excluded because they get the fruits of by serving the three mentioned above.

Women are not sanctioned the right to perform Srardha on their own.

It is enough if they hold the Dharpa touching their Husbands whoperforms Srardha.

Point of note is that a man loses the Right to perform Srardha with out his wife.

Nor are daughter’s children even if the parents have no male issues.

One’s sons,grandsons through the son  are eligible to perform these ceremonies.

All the sons are supposed to perform  if they live separately.

No separate ‘Ulai’ non sense.

If they live in the same house, the eldest can perform and the others should be by his side with their wives..

When to do Srardha?

Srardha should be done after noon and never before .

Brahma yagnam must be perrfomed before Srardha and Tharppana. ……………………………….(to be continued)