Pitru Paksha 2012

'Pitru' refers to our forefathers or departed ancestors. According to vedic understanding we are soul connected with 7 generations, before and after. When an ancestor incurs some big karma (transgression of natural law) it can be passed down to their children and grand children and so on down the line. This is evidenced in the horoscope of their descendants by a condition known as "Pitru Dosha": Rahu/Ketu's associating with luminaries (sun/moon); also Kala Sarpa yoga (all planets to one side of the Rahu/Ketu axis).         This means that the ancestor's karma is expressing itself through the life and circumstances of their descendants. The sins of the father are visited on the children. This ancestral karma can manifest in different ways. Without the application of proper remedy it is a life long condition limiting the person's success in important fields of endeavor.  For instance health, relationships (marriage), career, education, accumulation of wealth, long term hopes and aspirations: things we observe in people's lives as growing and taking on a life of their own - these can be a constant struggle and can fail for no apparent reason at the most unlikely times.          In this way Pitru Dosha and Kala Sarpa yoga can act like a glass ceiling limiting or frustrating our success in life. Also remedies such as medicines or yagya may have only short term effects and little lasting benefit. Benefits fail to translate into material circumstance of the person's life.     September 30, - October 15, 2012. Pitru Paksha. Fortnight of Departed Ancestors     Trayambakeshwar Jyotir Lingam in Nasik, Maharashtra is one of the 12 principal seats of Lord Shiva in India. Out of thousands of Shiva temples these 12 'Jyotir' or Self effulgent (lit from within) Lingams occupy a class of their own as the greatest, most celebrated & most powerful centres of Shiva's energy in the world. The lingams (murthis or idols) in these temples are all 'swambhu' or self created - not man made. Some hold Trayambakeshwar to be the first Jyotir Lingam. It is one of the 5 amrit sthanams or most sacred places in India; Kumbha Mela is held here. It is also mentioned in the Vedic literature. Yagyas and pujas have been performed here for thousands of years. More important, the experience of Lord Shiva's presence or darshan in these temples is unparalleled. For this reason millions of devotees come from far and wide each year to bathe in that experience of wholeness and peace which surpasses the understanding. And as a result of the profound presence of Lord Shiva at these Jyotir Lingams, yagyas performed here deliver maximum benefits.      Village of Trayambakeshwar with surrounding mountains   Trayambakeshwar Jyotir Lingam in Nasik is widely regarded as one of the 3 best places in India to perform remedies for Pitru Dosha, Kala Sarpa yoga, Narayan Bali and Nagbali. So effective are these remedies or Santhi's performed at Trayamabakeshwar that they only need to be done once in the life time. Repeats are not necessary. Trayambakeshwar is also one of the best temples to perform yagya for Saturn, Rahu & Moon, and Maha Mrityunjaya yagya.                 The chief pandits who organize & perform our yagyas are 3 brothers: Purushottam, Girish & Lalit Lohagoankar. Their family has lived at Trayambakeshwar for more than 300 years. They are highly respected members of the local community. Their yagyas consistently deliver excellent results.                 Performing Rudra Abhishek yagya in grounds of Trayambakeshwar Temple on Maha Shiva Ratri      30 September - 15 October 2012 marks Pitru Paksha - fortnight of departed ancestors.  The dark half of the lunar month of Bhadrapada is the best time of year to perform shraddha or offering to the departed ancestors. This is the best time of year to run Pitru Santhi and Kala Sarpa Santhi (remedies for Pitru Dosha and Kala Sarpa Yoga).     Program Pitru Santhi yagya runs for 12 Days    Day 01: - Narayan Bali Day 02: - Naag Bali & Tripindi  Day 03: - Kala Sarpa Day 04: - Ganapathi (Ganesha) yagya & Surya (Sun) Day 05: - Chandra/Moon Yagya Day 06: - Mangala/Mars Yagya Day 07: - Budha/Mercury Yagya Day 08: - Guru/Jupiter Yagya Day 09: - Sukra/Venus Yagya Day 10: - Sani/Saturn Yagya Day 11: - Rahu Planetary Yagya Day 12: - Ketu Planetary Yagya   It is said full benefits will accrue 40 days after completion of the program. To date it has been our experience this can take up to 2 or 3 months. It is fair to say that after 6 months you will look back and hopefully recognize this time as a turning point in your life.   Kala Sarpa yagya runs for 8 Days      NARAYANBALI         According to vedic understanding we are soul connected with 7 generations, before and after. The main aim of Narayanbali yagya is to fulfill the unrequited desires of our ancestors thus freeing them to move forward on their path of evolution. It is not possible to fulfill every single wish of the deceased. Some strong desires follow the jiva or individual soul even after death. In this condition, the soul keeps wandering on the earth. In Vedic esoteric philosophy it is held that soul is part of the Sun. It gets naturally attracted to the sun after death of the human body in the same way as water is attracted to the sea. But the unfulfilled desires and wishes force the soul to remain here in the earthly realm. The soul or jiva suffers a great deal in this condition. In order to free itself from suffering the trapped soul creates material problems in the lives of its descendents. To free himself or herself, the descendant may seek the help of doctors, healers or any kind of counselor. But due to the severity of this karma, standard remedies will not deliver the desired result. Dissatisfied with these attempts the person may seek the help of an astrologer. The positions of the planets in the horoscope reveal the Pitru Dosha or blemish of the ancestors. In view of this, we can say that the aim of Narayanbali yagya is to fulfill all unfulfilled wishes and desires of Jivatma or the individuated soul. This fulfills or destroys (depending on your perspective) the unrequited desires of the erstwhile trapped and suffering soul. When the desires are gone, the soul becomes lighter and travels in upward direction. The Jivatma or soul of the ancestor blesses the one who has enabled it to move forward.    The ritual of solemnly worshipping the Pitris or departed ancestors in order to satisfy them is called Shraaddha. This yagya is performed with the right materials, at the right place and at the right time (muhurtha) and according to dictates laid down in the vedic shaastra. This ritual has been traditionally performed according to vedic shaastras at Trayambakeshwar Jyotir Lingam for thousands of years. References to Trayambakeshwar Jyotir Lingam may be found in the vedic literature (India’s great philosophical/religious texts). Narayanbali is performed in cases such as childlessness, hardships in life, poverty, incurable disease or when one is afflicted by evil spirits, bad death, accidents or curses from previous birth. To free oneself from all above difficulties with certainty, Narayanbali is the primary ritual prescribed by the Vedic shastra.     NAAGBALI   Naagbali yagya is to be performed along with Narayanbali. Shaunaka rishi has described this ritual in the following way. A person who has collected a lot of wealth during their lifetime and cannot give up the desire for wealth even after death, guards his wealth after death in the form of a snake. This soul incarnated as snake does not allow any one else to enjoy his wealth. Such a snake if killed curses the beneficiaries of its wealth in the current or subsequent births. The beneficiaries of the wealth may remain childless or suffer chronic disease. To get rid of disease and to have children one should perform Naagbali yagya.           TRIPINDI Shraddha   Vedic philosophy holds it is necessary to perform Shraddha or traditional worship of the ancestors around the time of their death. If one fails to perform these rites of passage on behalf of their ancestors for a period of three years then the departed ancestors can suffer and in turn their suffering manifests in the lives of their descendents. To free oneself from this curse or from material troubles it is necessary to perform Tripindi yagya. The intention or sankalpa of this yagya is to increase material well being (artha). After its proper performance, material prosperity will slowly increase. Marriage difficulties also dissolve, there is success in profession and peace in the house. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the devatas associated with this yagya.      KalaSarpa (snake of time)         Kalasarpa Dosha refers to a condition in the horoscope in which all planets (or all planets bar 1) occupy one side of the Rahu/Ketu axis. This dosha most often manifests in primary areas of life: relationships (marriage), health (mental & physical), career, education, accumulation of wealth, long term hopes and aspirations: things we observe in other people's lives as growing and taking on a life of their own - these can be a constant struggle and can fail for no apparent reason at the most unlikely times. In spite of talent and hard work, the person does not achieve success. To remove this Dosha, KalasarpaRahu and nine snakes are worshipped and a havan or sacrificial fire is performed at Trayambakeshwar.   Courtesy : Srikant Rawas