How to do Pitru Paksha puja at home?

Pitru Paksha Puja is performed remembering the departed ancestors in Hindu beliefs. Pitru paksha is a 16 day period during which some rituals and Shradh ceremony is performed for the departed souls to attain salvation. Since the departed souls as per hindu beliefs, cannot feed themselves, it is the duty of the descendants to feed them. The Pitru Paksha puja is observed on the date of the death of the ancestors. If you want to know how to perform tarpan at home, read my answer below:

As I explained above, it is a 16 day period during which the Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. It is the mourning period where puja and vidhis are performed to help the departed ancestors attain moksha.

To perform pitru paksha puja at home you will need some samagri. Here is a quick list:

• Aasan (wooden stool)

• White cloth

• Barley and black sesame seeds

• Photograph of the ancestor

• Kusha grass

• Cow’s raw milk

• Bronze or copper utensil

After you have prepared everything for the puja, this is how you will have to perform it:

• Place the stool in southern direction

• Cover it with the white cloth

• On this stool, spready barley and sesame seeds

• Keep the photograph of the ancestor on it or place kusha grass

• Now fold your hands and call your ancestors 

• Take the bronze/copper utensil and fill it with water.

• Add cow’s milk, sesame seeds, rice and barley to it and keep the utensil before the photograph

• Now you will have to make the pinda for which you will have to take cooked rice, honey, milk and gangajal. Mix them and make a ball out of it. Place it before the photograph of your ancestors on a leaf

• After performing the pinda daan, offer this rice ball to a cow

This is the way of expressing gratitude towards your ancestors and honor their memories. This is how to do pitru paksha puja at home. I hope this was helpful.

Hi, Surya. I think everyone has already explained and provided all the details necessary on how to do Pitru pooja at home. But what I see missing here are the dates of this puja in 2025. As I am a Vastu expert, I keep track of these things and I would like to help you learn these dates as well. I have added the dates below. 

How to Perform Pitru Paksha Puja at Home?

The pitru paksha puja in 2025 will start on 7th September 2025 and will continue till 21st October 2025. To make it easier for you to understand, I have added all the dates and Shraadh to the table below. 

And that’s all. I hope you find this information helpful. 

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To perform the Pitra Dosh Nivaran Puja at home, you can simply offer a roti soaked in ghee and jaggery. You can also give donations, like money or red clothes, to Brahmins. Other than these, you can opt for inviting a pandit home for the puja and gift them new clothes. This puja is mainly performed to remove any curse from a departed ancestor and is a powerful way to neutralise a curse and make sure you and your family have a peaceful life.

What Should be Done During Pitru Paksha?

During Pitru Paksha, there are a few  rituals you can follow like:

• If you have Pitru Dosha in your horoscope, consider doing Pind Daan for their salvation.

• Take a holy bath in the Ganga, as it’s believed to bring purification and blessings.

• Feed cows, crows, and dogs, as it's considered highly meritorious and symbolic of offering food to the ancestors.

• Offer food to the needy, invite Brahmins home, and give them clothes, food, and Dakshina for a rewarding experience.

This is how you can perform the pitru dosha pooja at home. Just make sure you are aware of the date and time. In 2025, the Pitrupaksha will begin on 7th September but I will still request you double-check the date.

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My friend Shravan lost his father a year ago. He wanted to know how to do Pitru Tarpan at home? I accompanied him to a Pandit ji. He told us that Pitru tarpan is the term used to describe the offering of water to the souls of deceased ancestors (pitar). By doing tarpan, the departed ancestors' souls not only find satisfaction and depart from us. But they also bestow long life, radiance, high intelligence (Brahmavarchaswa), money, success, and nourishment (the capacity to digest the food consumed) on the host who is performing the tarpan and satisfy him.

How to do Pitru Tarpan at home?

Pandit ji, informed us that Pitru tarpan can only be performed by the riverside. At the riverside, one should either sit on the banks of the river or stand in the river until the water reaches the belly button to do Tarpan.

• When doing tarpan, one should face east for God and the Sages and south for the souls of departed ancestors.

• According to science, tarpan for God should be performed after performing "Savya," that for Sages should be performed after doing "Nivit," and that for the souls of departed ancestors should be performed after performing "Apasavya."

• For tarpan, a dried grass twig (darbha) is required. The top of the darbha is used for tarpan for God, the middle of the darbha is folded for tarpan for Sages, and the tip and root of the two darbhas are used for tarpan for the spirits of departed ancestors.

• The tips of the fingers should be used to make water offerings (tarpan) to deities, the base of the little finger and the third finger should be used for offerings to sages, and the middle of the thumb and the first finger should be used for offerings to the spirits of departed ancestors.

• One handful of water should be used to perform Tarpan for each deity, two handfuls for Sages, and three handfuls for the spirits of departed ancestors. Three handfuls of water should be used for matrutrayi (mother, grandmother, and great grandmother), and one handful of water should be used for other female ancestors' souls during tarpan.

The Pandit ji also informed us that before conducting Tarpan, family members should conduct a Pitrupaksha Puja. During this Puja, a family member invites the ancestors for Pind Daan, and serves rice balls flavoured with goat milk, honey, and sugar. 

Hope this helps you with how to do Pitru Tarpan at home.

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Hi,

I entirely agree with the steps that you mentioned regarding how to do shraddha at home. You can go through the below-given factors to learn about the benefits of the Pitra Dosh Nivaran Puja;

• This puja helps the family recover from its unfortunate circumstances and resume living a prosperous life.

• It also lowers barriers to advancement in professional and career life by presenting more opportunities.

• It also eliminates health problems and heals severe illnesses.

• It aids in reviving luck, resulting in an atmosphere of positivity.

• Couples who are having difficulties giving birth will be gifted with a healthy baby.

The Pitra Dosh Nivaran Puja Mantra is ॐ पितृगणाय विद्महे जगत धारिणी धीमहि तन्नो पितृो प्रचोदयात्. ॐ देवताभ्य: पितृभ्यश्च महायोगिभ्य एव च। नम: स्वाहायै स्वधायै नित्यमेव नमो नम:. ॐ आद्य-भूताय विद्महे सर्व-सेव्याय धीमहि।

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Last year, when my friend Kamala lost her dad, her family conducted this Pitru Paksha puja. I accompanied my grieving friend to this Puja. According to the Pandit ji, the Pitra Dosh Nivaran Puja is a very blessed and honourable puja. Here, "Pitru" or "Pitra" refers to the father and his lineage. 

The term "Pitra Dosh" or "Pithru Dosha" refers to the negative karma or misdeeds committed by a person's paternal ancestors when they were still alive in the past. They can rest in peace with their soul's liberated through this Puja rite, which purifies any wrongdoing.

The Pandit ji also mentioned that the Pitru Dosh Nivaran Puja should be conducted when the Pitru Paksha period falls during the Krishna Paksha fortnight in the month of Ashwin.

How to perform shraddha ceremony at home?

The steps were similar to the steps mentioned by Narayandas. I witnessed that; 

• In the Sharadh rites, the oldest member of the family took a bath in holy water don new clothing, and donned a ring made of Kush grass (a representation of the souls' invocation).

• white fabric was used to cover a chowki, or low-heightened wooden table, over which black or grey sesame seeds were scattered 

After this there was Pind daan. 

How to make Pinda for Shradh?

Ancestors are invited to Pind Daan, where they are served rice balls flavoured with goat milk, honey, and sugar.

The ritual is further followed by Tarpan, in which water and flour are mixed with black sesame seeds, barely Kush, and all of these are offered to the ancestor’s soul.

I was touched by this ritual and shared all these details on how to do Pitru pooja at home with my dad. He told me that Pitra Dosh Nivaran Puja in 2023 can be done any day from the 29th of September 2023 till the 14th of October 2023. I also want to know the benefits of this puja. So I’d like to appreciate it if anyone could also enlighten me about the same. Thanks in advance.

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As a 21st-century child, I wasn’t aware of this Puja. But then my grandfather told me about this Puja. He said the Hindu calendar has a season called Pitru Paksha that honours departed ancestors. People do Tarpan (Tarpanam) and Shradh rituals during this time to honour their deceased loved ones. So I am here to guide you about the Pitru Paksha 2022.

How to perform Pitru Pooja at home?

I performed the Pitru Puja at my home after reading Narayandas’s answer. He mentioned the process very clearly along with the Samagri needed. So you can refer to his answer.

Who should conduct the Pitra Puja?

Those with Pitru Dosha (the ancestor's curse), should conduct the Tarpanam and Shradh. Punishing harm, suffering, or displeasure on your deceased elders invites your anger. Men accordingly execute the Tarpanam and Shradh rituals by feeding and watering crows. It is to ask for forgiveness. The Mahalaya Amavasya is the most significant day, though you should ideally conduct the Tarpanam on each of the sixteen days.

Why are Pitru Paksha 2022 dates?

• Saturday, September 10, 2022: Purnima Shradh

• Saturday, September 10, 2022: Pratipada Shradh

• Sunday, September 11, 2022: Dwitiya Shradh or Dooj Shradh.

• Monday, September 12, 2022: Tritiya Shradh

• Tuesday, September 13, 2022: Chaturthi and Maha Bharani Shradh

• Wednesday, September 14, 2022: Panchami Shradh

• Thursday, September 15, 2022: Shashti Shradh

• Friday, September 16, 2022: Saptami Shradh

• Sunday, September 18, 2022: Ashtami Shradh

• Monday, September 19, 20221: Navami Shradh

• Tuesday, September 20, 2022: Dashmi Shradh

• Wednesday, September 21, 2022: Ekadashi Shradh

• Thursday, September 22, 2022: Dwadashi Shradh or Magha Shradh

• Friday, September 23, 2022: Trayodashi Shradh

• Saturday, September 24, 2022: Chaturdashi Shradh

• Sunday, September 25, 2022: Sarva Pitru Amavasya, also known as Amavasya Shradh.

This is all about the Pitru Paksha 2022.