Every year as Pitra Paksha comes closer, many people start making guesses and debates like what is this term called Shraadh and how to do it properly; and even before that, why do we need to do Shraadh in the first place? Some people think that it is some kind of religious obligation; some think it is some kind of good karma and some think it is just another religious superstition which has been imposed on them so that the pandits benefitting from Shraadhs may get more and more things and money from them.
Then there are some people who think that above everything, it is their duty towards the senior members of their family line who are no more in this physical world but who need these rituals to be conducted, in whichever worlds they are. These natives think that being the junior members of their families; it is their duty to give their ancestors what they need the most, as they have given them a lot, starting with the gift of human life in the first place.
There are many other opinions and beliefs about this ritual of Shraadh and there are many misconceptions as well as confusions related to this ritual. That is why I have decided take up this matter for the present chapter in which we will discuss the most important things related to this concept or ritual called Shraadh in Hindu Religion. To start with the topic, let’s first try to understand what this term called Shraadh in reality is.
Hindu Shastras mention that Shraadh karmas should be done for at least 3 generations which include father, grandfather and great grandfather; and the other family members in their generations. Whichever of the family members are dead in these generations, Shraadh can be done for them, but it is compulsory to do Shraadh for father, grandfather, great grandfather and respective wives of all three of them, whichever of them are dead. Many people in India believe that donating some goods and some money to pandits sitting in temples is Shraadh and some people think that arranging a Braham Bhoj which includes inviting 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 pandits at their places of residence and then offering food, fruits, valuables, clothes and money to these pandits is Shraadh. Whereas all these acts are parts of the process of Shraadh, these acts are not complete Shraadhs in themselves and there are more rituals that need to be performed in order to complete the process of Shraadh.
श्रद्धया दीयते यत् तत् श्राद्धम्’ पितरों की तृप्ति के लिए जो सनातन विधि से जो कर्म किया जाता है उसे श्राद्ध कहते हैं। किसी भी कर्म को यदि श्रद्धा और विश्वास से नहीं किया जाता तो वह निष्फल होता है। महर्षि पाराशर का मत है कि देश-काल के अनुसार यज्ञ पात्र में हवन आदि के द्वारा, तिल, जौ, कुशा तथा मंत्रों से परिपूर्ण कर्म श्राद्ध होता है। इस प्रकार किया जाने वाला यह पितृ यज्ञ कर्ता के सांसारिक जीवन को सुखमय बनाने के साथ परलोक भी सुधारता है। साथ ही जिस दिव्य आत्मा का श्राद्ध किया जाता है उसे तृप्ति एवं कर्म बंधनों से मुक्ति भी मिल जाती है।
अनेक धर्मग्रंथों के अनुसार नित्य, नैमित्तिक, काम्य, वृद्धि और पार्वण पाँच प्रकार के श्राद्ध बताए गए हैं जिनमें प्रतिदिन पितृ और ऋषि तर्पण आदि द्वारा किया जाने वाला श्राद्ध नित्य श्राद्ध कहलाता है। इसमें केवल जल प्रदान करने से भी कर्म की पूर्ति हो जाती है। इसी प्रकार, एकोद्दिष्ट श्राद्ध को नैमित्तिक, किसी कामना की पूर्ति हेतु काम्य श्राद्ध, पुत्र प्राप्ति, विवाह आदि मांगलिक कार्यों में जिनसे कुल वृद्धि होती है, के पूजन के साथ पितरों को प्रसन्न करने के लिए वृद्धि श्राद्ध किया जाता है जिसे नान्दी श्राद्ध भी कहते हैं। इसके अलावा पुण्यतिथि, अमावस्या अथवा पितृ पक्ष (महालय) में किया जाने वाला श्राद्ध कर्म पार्वण श्राद्ध कहलाता है।
भादों की पूर्णिमा से आश्विन अमावस्या तक के सोलह दिन पितरों की जागृति के दिन होते हैं जिसमें पितर देवलोक से चलकर पृथ्वी की परिधि में सूक्ष्म रूप में उपस्थित हो जाते हैं तथा भोज्य पदार्थ एवं जल को अपने वंशजों से श्रद्धा रूप में स्वीकार करते हैं। आज के प्रगतिवादी युग में प्रायः लोगों के पास इस विज्ञान के रहस्य को जानने की अपेक्षा नकारने की हठधार्मिता ज्यादा दिखाई देती है।
यदि हम विचार करें तो सामान्य सांसारिक व्यवहारों में भी दावत या पार्टियों में इष्ट मित्रों की उपस्थिति से कितनी प्रसन्नता होती है। यदि हम अपने पूर्वजों की स्मृति में वर्ष में एक-दो बार श्रद्धा पर्व मनाते हुए स्वादिष्ट भोज्य पदार्थों का पितृ प्रसाद मिल बाँट कर खाएँ तो उससे जो आत्मीय सुख प्राप्त होता है वह शायद मौज-मस्ती के निमित्त की गई पार्टियों से कहीं आगे होगा।
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