Mahalaya Amavasya – Occasion to Remember Forefathers

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 27: The new moon day of Bhandrapada month is known as Mahalaya Amavasya. This year, Mahalaya Amavasya has fallen on Tuesday September 27, as per Hindu calendar.

The tradition of observing Mahalaya Amavasya has been in vogue in India since ages. Mahalaya Amavasya is the last day of Pitru Paksha (15 days marked for forefathers). Dasara celebrations begin on the next day of Mahalaya Amavasya.

Hindus believe that those who leave for heavenly abode attain exalted celestial positions only if their next three generations offer them food, puja, and other services through religious procedures at least one day every year. Normally, the ‘Shraddha’, a procedure of remembering and paying tributes to the forefathers, is held on the day the father/mother of the persons performing the procedures died, calculated as per Hindu calendar. Alternatively, this service can also be offered during Pitru Paksha.

It is believed that those who die continue to watch from above as to whether their next generations abide by the duties and responsibilities cast upon them. They are content when the next generations remember them at least one day in every year, and conduct rituals connected with this service. It is believed that food, clothes, and other things given to those in need during this two-week period, paves way for the concerned person’s easy passage to heaven upon death.