Pitra Dev

It is often seen in the horoscope that there is a yoga of “Pitra-dosham” which is considered very deadly for the children.It is a clear indication of curse of ancestors. Also, the blessings of our ancestors are very important for the success in life. As per hindu calendar, the Krishna paksh (fortnight) of Ashwin month is very important for remembering our ancesters. During this period rituals performed for the pacification of departed souls is called as “Shradh”. After the death soul travels various planes(levels). It suffers accoding to the its deed performed on the earth. Shradh ceremony is performed to provide the solace to the soul. The last day of shradh is considered as the most important one . It is held on amavasya tithi. The pitras are believed to be the ruler of this tithi(date). Similarly offering water to souls is called “Tarpan” ceremony. As per rule the eldest son of the deceased should perform this ceremony. Otherwise spouse or brother or son-in-law are qualified to perform it. The shradh or tarpan performed on teerath is considered as best. The easiest way is to donate the food liked by the ancestors. It should be donated to Brahmin, crow and cow.Sesame seeds mixed with water is considered very sacred in the offerings. All the auspicious works are prohibited during this period. There are 6 kinds of tarpan

1) Devtarpan

2) Rishitarpan

3) Divyamanavtarpan

4) Divyapitratarpan

5) Yamtarpan

6) Manushyapitratarpan

Mantra to be recited at the time of tarpan is-

Om ye bandhava abandhva va yenya janmani bandhva |

Te sarve triptimayantu maddattenambuna swadha ||

This simple remedy is very important to ward off many hidden evils in horoscope.

Somvati Amavasya

When no moon day(Amavasya) fall on Monday(somvaar) then the day is called 'Somvati Amavasya'. The most important ritual associated with this day is bathing in sacred rivers.Its importance is told by Bhishma to Yudhishter that one who baths in sacred rivers,that will be  relieved from disease. It is also  called "Rog Mukti snan".Also the Amavasya is ruled by our ancestors  and its signification increased many times when it coincides with Monday.  'Tarpan' performed on this day is considered very auspicious to get the blessings from the deceased souls.Charity done on this day is equivalent to donating thousands cows. Parikrama(revolve) around Peepal tree for 108 times is one of the important ritual. "Om Namo Bhagwatey Vasudevay" is the mantra which could be chanted while doing parikrama in a clockwise direction. Peepal tree is considered as the manifistation of "Tridev",the Brahma,Vishnu and Mahesh. Somvati Amavasya is equivalent to 100 eclipse which shows the importance of this day.This day is excellent for fasting for the longevity of happy married life.

Good Morning Gods!

It takes one year for sun to travel through 12 zodiac signs. In the month of January sun enters the zodiac sign Capricorn (makar). This entry of sun in makar raashi is known as “Makar Sakranti”. This marks the beginning of northward journey of sun. From this day till next 6 months, when sun covers the 6 zodiac signs from Capricorn to Gemini, this period is known as “Uttarayan” which is considered as auspicious as the upcoming 6 months are considered as “Day” of gods where as period from suns entry to cancer sign till Capricorn sign is considered as “Night” for gods. Even Bhisham Pitamah , who had a boon , waited for sun to enter Capricorn before he leave for heaven. As per legend , the sun who is the father of Saturn had promised him to visit his house(Capricorn sign) once in a year despite having enemity between them. As per another belief Sage Bhagirath who brought river Ganga to earth for salvation of his ancestors manage to liberate them from the curse of Sage Kapil. It is a day of worship of sun god. Tarpan done on this day brings all the blessings from the ancestors. Charity done on this day has its own importance. This is the only hindu festival which is based upon the solar movement where as other festivals are based upon moon. That is why this festival coincides with English calendar.

The Aquatic Navagrehas

As per the concept of Hinduism, we get all the happiness and sufferings in our lives because of our past life karmas. The nava-grehas or the nine planets in our horoscope are the key controller of our destiny. Even Lord Rama was not spared from the effects of navagrehas. Before proceeding for Lanka , Lord Rama needed the help of nature to overcome the powerful enemy, Ravana. The reason behind that was Ravana was himself acquired many divine powers. Once Goddess Durga appeared in the dream of Lord Rama and guided Lord Rama to perform navagreha pooja in order to overcome the adverse effects planets.So after consulting sages, Lord Rama decided to perform special pooja of nava-grehas. He placed nine stones pillars which symbolically represented the 9 planets and do praan-pratishtha(invoking divine powers). Only after performing the pooja Lord Rama proceed towards to Lanka. This confirms the importance of Navagrehas . So every human being on this earth is under the influence of 9 planets. During my teerath-yaatra to Tamil Nadu I got a chance to witness these magical navagrehas, which are still there. These pillars are half submerged in the sea. They are located in a place called Navapaashanam in Devipattinam . It is 14 km North-east of Ramnathpuram in Tamilnadu. This place is considered as very powerful place to perform the tarpan for our ancesters. The unique thing about Devipattinam is that it is the only place in the world where the Navagrahas are located inside the sea.




I performed the pooja in Navapaashanam