Significance of Amavasya Tarpanam
Tarpanam is defined in Sanskrit as follows:
Trpyanti pitaro yena tat tarpanam
That (ritual) by which the ancestors are satiated is called Tarpanam.
The ritual of Tarpanam is performed every month on the New moon ( Amavasya) day. On this day a son who has lost his father or both parents invokes them with two more generations of ancestors who are deceased. Divinity in the form of the deities Vasus, Rudra and Aaditya are also invoked through whom the offerings are made to the pitrs. Oblations are made with water and black sesame seeds (tilodakam). The person seeks blessings of ancestors and deities praying for the well being of himself and his family. He gives dakshina to a priest or sets aside dakshina according to his capacity as a part of the ritual.
Excerpt from "Antyeshti" by Sri Dhira Chaitanya.
No comments:
Post a Comment