Mahalaya Amavasya is the golden chance to cleanse our karma cycle and earn some virtue. This day is dedicated to our ancestors, during which we can offer them our services and receive their blessings. This way, Mahalaya Amavasya is a means to remove negativity from our lives and infuse positivity and happiness into them.
Significance Of Mahalaya Amavasya
It is mentioned in the Shastras that a soul takes rebirth until it gets salvation. Thus our next birth is the continuation of our previous birth. The seeds we sow in the past life, we reap their results in the next birth. People believe in doing good karma, feeding the poor, and doing good things. These good things serve them in this lifetime and the next.
Mahalaya Amavasya is the last day of Pitru Paksha, which is 15 days. This period is dedicated to the departed souls of our family. During this period, people offer Tarpanam or food to their ancestors. This food reaches the soul of their ancestors, and it feeds the soul. This way, their ancestors comfortably cross their long journey of taking a new birth without starving.
However, people who do not feed food to their ancestors after their death or during these 15 days give pain to their ancestors’ souls. As a result, the starving soul curses the family, and the family goes through many difficulties such as financial instability, career problem, marriage problem, and health issues. Etc.
In all these 15 days, Mahalaya Paksha is the most important day as on this day, Earth’s vibrations rise higher, connecting our soul to the Universe. Hence doing good karma on this day gives you multiplied benefits and cuts down your bad karma.
Thus on Mahalaya Amavasya, people should perform the rituals for their ancestors. They should donate food to the poor along with other necessary things. They should be grateful to the ancestors who were there before them on this Earth and gave them a comfortable life.
The Unknown Fact About Mahalaya Amavasya
There is a legend about our great ancestor Karna, King Karna, an essential character of Mahabharata. He is also known as “Maha Kunti Putra.” The legend says that Karna was unaware of who his parents were, so he decided to worship all the departed souls.
However, in his lifetime, he was unaware that we needed to donate food to the poor and our ancestors. Thus, when Karna left his body and entered the other world, he was only provided with gold ornaments and other precious metals. His soul was starving and longing for some food. However, Karna was only able to see the ornaments.
Then one day, he asked the Lord why there was no food for him. The God then replied that Karna only donated ornaments to people all his life and never gave food to the poor or his ancestors. Karna asked forgiveness from God and asked to give him another chance because he was unaware of this fact.
God agreed and sent Karna on Earth for 15 days. In those days, Karna donated food to poor people and performed rituals for all the departed souls. Then after 15 days, his soul returned to the other world and found the food to eat. Before leaving the Earth, Karna made everyone aware of this and suggested that everyoneovide food to the poor and their ancestors.
These were the 15 days now known as Pitru Paksha, and the last day is known as Mahalaya Amavasya. Since then, people have always offered food to their ancestors; this way, their ancestors do not remain hungry. People who perform such rituals, when they leave this world, their soul doesn’t get deprived of food.
The same thing is known as “Shraddha” or “Tarpana.” Doing so blesses the entire family, and the family remains happy and fulfilled. The marriages in such families happen on time, and the members stay healthy and live long lives. Keeping your ancestors happy also save the family from sudden deaths and misfortunes.
Pitru Paksha This year
This is a day that everyone, regardless of their religion, can celebrate and offer food to their ancestors. This year, Pitru Paksha will start on September 10 and continue until September 25.
Other than performing the ritual, individuals can also sit in silence and imagine their ancestors blessing them. They can sit in a meditation pose and visualize their ancestors being happy and blessing them.
The day also gives us a chance to recognize the effort of our parents and elders still in this world. Hence we should love our elders and respect them while they are with us. When you respect your elders and provide Tarpan to your ancestors, no one can stop you from having their blessings.
