Pitru Paksha 2025: How to Perform Shraddha at Home - Step-by-step Guide

Pitru Paksha 2025: How to Perform Shraddha at Home - Step-by-step Guide (PTI image)

Pitru Paksha 2025 is a sacred period dedicated to honoring our ancestors through Shraddha rituals. Performing Shraddha at home with devotion helps bring peace to the departed souls and blessings of prosperity, harmony, and spiritual growth to the family. According to tradition, Shraddha rituals should be performed during the specific Shraddha Tithi of one’s ancestors. If done with faith, offerings like tarpan, pind daan, and feeding Brahmins are believed to help our forefathers attain peace in the afterlife.

Pitru Paksha 2025: When to Perform Shraddha?

On the Shraddha Tithi, rituals should be performed between sunrise and 12:24 PM. The morning hours are considered highly auspicious for tarpan and food offerings to ancestors.

Step-by-step Guide to Perform Shraddha at Home

1. Purification of Home and Self

• Wake up early and take a holy bath.
• Clean the house thoroughly and sprinkle Gangajal mixed with cow urine to purify the surroundings.

• Sit facing the south direction, as it is associated with ancestors.
• Keep your left leg bent with the knee touching the ground.

• Take a wide copper vessel and add black sesame seeds, raw cow milk, Gangajal, and clean water.
• Fill water in both hands and pour it slowly into the vessel using the thumb of your right hand.
• Repeat this process 11 times, offering it as Tarpan to your ancestors.

• Women of the house should prepare food with devotion after bathing.
• Cook dishes like kheer, rice, and seasonal vegetables, ensuring purity and simplicity.

• Invite a learned Brahmin home for Shraddha.
• Wash his feet before serving food.
• The wife should stand to the right of her husband while serving.
• Before serving, set aside food for five beings (Panchabali): cow, dog, crow, deity, and ants.

• Offer kheer into the sacred fire in the name of ancestors.
• Use kusha grass, barley, sesame seeds, rice, and water to take a vow of performing Shraddha sincerely.
• Serve food to one or three Brahmins with devotion.

After the meal, give daan (donations) according to your capacity. Traditional offerings include:

• Sesame seeds
• Ghee
• Gold or silver
• Clothes
• Grains or jaggery
• Even salt is considered auspicious.

• Once the Shraddha is completed, seek blessings from the Brahmins and pray for the peace of your ancestors.Performing Shraddha during Pitru Paksha 2025 ensures that the souls of ancestors attain peace and liberation. In return, families receive divine blessings, improved prosperity, and protection from negative energies. This ritual also reminds us of our eternal duty to respect and honor our forefathers.