The ancestors · 15–20 minutes, morning
Pitru tarpan — the simple home remembrance
Pitru Paksha (26 Sep–10 Oct 2026; 15–30 Sep 2027); Amavasyas; Mahalaya
In the simplest words
The simple water-offering to ancestors — til, water, their names spoken with love — a child's thank-you across generations. A priest can do more; this much is yours.
Tarpan means 'that which satisfies' — water offered so the lineage knows it is remembered. The full shraddha belongs to one's family priest and tradition; this guide is the simple, safe householder form: water, black til, the names, and food given onward. Gratitude needs no Sanskrit to be fluent.
Samagri — what you need
0/5 gatheredThe vidhi, step by step
0/5 doneBathe; face south
Morning, bathed, facing south — the ancestors' direction; the sacred thread (if worn) shifts to the right shoulder in the pitru mode.
Sankalpa of remembrance
Say plainly whom you remember — by name and relation, and then all ancestors known and unknown of both lineages.
The water with til
Water with black til poured from the right hand's side (over the space between thumb and forefinger — the pitru-tirtha) into the thali, a blade of kusha held in the hand if you have it, once per remembered name, with the mantra.
ॐ पितृभ्यो नमः
Oṁ Pitṛbhyo Namaḥ
Om, salutations to the pitrs — the fathers and mothers gone before. The mantra's three words carry a debt no gift settles: bodies, names, and half our habits are theirs. Offered with water and sesame, it does what remembrance can do — tells the lineage it is not forgotten, and asks that its blessings, not its burdens, flow down.
Source: Traditional nāma-mantra; full tarpan vidhi is family/priest-specific
Panchabali — the five fed
Portions set out for cow, dog, crow, ant, and guest — the ancestors traditionally receive through these five mouths; the crow's acceptance is the beloved sign.
Close with light
A lamp for the lineage, the peace mantra, and — the tradition's own instruction — get up and live well; that is the offering they want most.
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ
Om — peace, peace, peace. The three utterances are aimed, not repeated for weight: at what rises from within (adhyatmika), what comes through other beings (adhibhautika), and what descends beyond anyone's control (adhidaivika). Naming all three sources, the chant admits how undefended a life is — and answers each door with the same word.
Source: Upaniṣadic śānti-pāṭha tradition
Note: This is remembrance, not the formal shraddha — pind-daan, tithi-shraddha, and Gaya rites belong with your family priest, and this guide steps back where they begin. Women performing tarpan is accepted in many traditions today; families decide.