• By Kashish Rai
  • Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:21 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Amavasya October 2024: Sarva Pitru Amavasya, also known as Mahalaya, marks the culmination of Pitru Paksha, a significant Hindu period honouring ancestors. This sacred day holds profound importance as it concludes Pitru Paksha and heralds the commencement of Shardiya Navratri, a nine-day celebration dedicated to Maa Durga's diverse forms. Particularly revered in West Bengal, Mahalaya Amavasya is a crucial day for paying respects to deceased loved ones, seeking their blessings, and ensuring their spiritual liberation. Bridging the transition to the vibrant Durga Puja festivities, this day serves as a poignant reminder of familial heritage and ancestral reverence. This year, Sarva Pitru Amavasya or Mahalaya Amavasya is being observed on 2nd October 2024.

Check out all significant details regarding the timings, auspicious muhurat to perform tarpan, significance and rituals of this sacred day below: 

Amavasya October 2024: Sarva Pitru Amavasya Date And Time

- Sarv Pitru Amavasya 2024 Date: 2nd October 2024, Wednesday

- Amavasya Tithi Begins: 09:39 PM, 1st October 2024

- Amavasya Tithi Ends: 12:18 AM, 3rd October 2024

Amavasya October 2024: Sarv Pitru Amavasya Tarpan Muhurat

- Kutup Muhurat: 11:47 AM to 12:35 PM

- Rohina Muhurat: 12:35 PM to 01:24 PM

- Aparahna Kaal: 01:24 PM to 03:48 PM

Amavasya October 2024: Sarva Pitru Amavasya Significance

In Hinduism, it's believed that repaying three sacred debts - Dev Rin (divine debt), Rishi Rin (debt to sages and gurus), and Pitra Rin (debt to ancestors) - is essential for a pain-free new life. This day presents an opportunity to settle these debts, honouring God, Guru, and ancestors. According to Sanatan Hindu tradition, sons must perform Shradh rituals to serve their departed parents' souls, ensuring relief and earning blessings for success and happiness. This selfless act, emphasised in ancient texts like the Garuda, Vayu, Agni, Matsya, and Markandeya Puranas, repays ancestral debt, seeks forgiveness, and ensures spiritual liberation for departed loved ones, inviting prosperity and well-being. By fulfilling filial duties through Shradh, individuals nurture a deep connection between the living and departed, promoting spiritual growth, harmony, and virtuous life, ultimately leading to a blissful and pain-free existence, free from karmic burdens.

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Performing Tarpan and Shradh rituals on Sarv Pitru Amavasya is deemed to be highly rewarding. (Image Source: Canva)

Amavasya October 2024: Sarva Pitru Amavasya Rituals

On Sarva Pitru Amavasya, devotees rise early, bathe, and don traditional attire, including a dhoti and a ring made from Kusha grass. The eldest son typically performs the Shradh ritual, offering Pind Daan - rice, sesame seeds, and barley balls - to the ancestors. Sattvik, pure vegetarian dishes, are prepared as offerings, with kheer being a mandatory inclusion. Devotees wear yellow-coloured clothes, symbolising purity and spirituality.

The ritual involves inviting Brahmins to receive food and donations. Upon arrival, their feet are washed, and they are seated comfortably, with sesame seeds sprinkled beneath. Devotees offer flowers, food, dhoop, diya, and Tarpan - a mixture of water, barley, flour, Kusha grass, and black sesame - to ancestors. Special mantras are recited under the guidance of a knowledgeable priest to invoke forefathers' blessings.

Following the Puja rituals and Tarpan offering, Brahmins are served special meals prepared with devotion. After serving them with dedication and offering Dakshina, devotees bid them farewell respectfully. Subsequently, family members partake in the meal, praying for the peace and salvation of departed ancestors' souls. This poignant ritual strengthens the bond between generations, seeking ancestors' blessings for prosperity and well-being. By honouring their heritage, devotees ensure spiritual growth and liberation for themselves and their forebears.

ALSO READ: Durga Puja 2024: 8 Or 9 Days, How Long Will Shardiya Navratri Last? Check Dates And Other Details

 

 

(Disclaimer: This is based on general public information. Jagran English doesn’t confirm its veracity. Before adopting any measures, consult an expert in the relevant field.)