Kathmandu. Every year, the sixteen shraddha that starts from Ashwin Krishna Pratipada i.e. Pitru Paksha is being formally started from today.

It has been mentioned in the calendar (panchang) approved by the Nepal Calendar Determination Development Committee that Shraddha should be performed on the first day today. Former member of the committee and religious expert Prof Dr. Devmani Bhattarai said that the pind daan of Pratipada Tithi Shraddha should be done after noon.

It is called Sohra Shraddha because on the sixteen dates from Ashwin Krishna Pratipada to Ashwin Shukla Pratipada, the deceased ancestors are honored with tarpan, sidadan and pind daan. This time is also known as Apar, Pret Paksha, etc.

According to the Vedic Sanatan Hindu scriptural tradition of remembering the ancestors with reverence and devotion before performing festivals, yagyas, and other big deeds, the sixteen shraddha is performed. There is a classical belief that the ancestors are expecting at this time.

There is a religious belief that by performing sixteen shraddha in this way, one’s sense of responsibility towards the ancestors will be fulfilled and one will also be freed from the debt to the ancestors. Prof. Dr. Ramchandra Gautam, a religious scholar and former chairman of the committee, said that shraddha is performed on the basis of the scriptural statement that if one does not perform shraddha in this aspect, there will be an unforgivable fault. He also said that there is a scriptural saying that sixteen shraddha should be performed in the afternoon. Religious scholar Gautam says that one should not give up sixteen shraddha except in case of caste cleanliness, death and wife menstruation.

There are many options given in the scriptures when the sixteen shraddha is stopped due to the reason. There is a rule that the sixteen shraddha performers should do it on the date of their father. According to the scriptures, if the calamity is stuck due to any reason, then it should be done from Ashwin Krishna Aunsi to Ashwin Shukla Panchami.

Even at this time, if sixteen shraddha cannot be performed due to any reason, it can be done on the day of Kartik Krishna Aunsi i.e. Lakshmi Puja. If it cannot be done even on Kartik Krishna Aunsi, then it can be done by Vrishchika Sankranti i.e. till November, according to the classical text Dharmasindhu.

Committee member Prof Dr Bhattarai, who is also the head of the Department of Religion at Nepal Sanskrit University, said that the scriptural option has also been given in the scriptural texts of Nirnayasindhu, Dharmasindhu and Dharmasindhu and the scriptures of the religious scriptures.

He said that there is a scriptural option that if the sixteen shraddha is not able to be performed even after that, then the Brahmin can chant 108 mantras daily. This chant should be done for 10 months according to the method. There is a religious belief that the ancestors get satisfaction from this method too.

According to the scriptures, it is not according to the scriptures as some priests say that the sixteen shraddha should be performed in the afternoon on the day of the father’s tithi. With the end of Pitru Paksha, Durga Paksha i.e. Bada Dashain begins. Before celebrating Bada Dashain, sixteen shraddha is done for the satisfaction of the ancestors. There is a Vedic tradition of performing the ritual of satisfying the ancestors before celebrating big festivals or festivals. This year, due to the fall of Adhikmas in the month of Jeth, the sixteen shraddha and Bada Dashain festival have been postponed.