Pitru Paksha is currently underway and the festival will continue till October 10. While incense meditation for the ancestors, food, jaggery, ghee are offered on the coals of the kandas. Just as we offer food directly to God, we do not offer it to the ancestors, there is a tradition of offering food in the fire for the ancestors. The reason for this tradition was told to Yudhishthira by Bhishma Pitamah in the Mahabharata. Read the full story…
In Chapter 91 of the Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata, Bhishma Pitamah has told Yudhishthira about the Shraddha karma. In this chapter, Bhishma narrated the story of Maharishi Nimi, Maharishi Nimi performed Shraddha for the ancestors for the first time according to the method prescribed by Brahma ji, after which the tradition of performing Shraddha started.
Bhishma further told Yudhishthira that after Nimi Rishi, all the people started offering food to their ancestors. For a long time, the ancestors started getting food in the form of Shraddha, all the ancestors and gods were satisfied by taking food. After this, when the ancestors started getting a lot of food, the ancestors were not able to digest the food.
The food of the ancestors was not digested, so they got indigestion, due to which they were suffering a lot. All the ancestors approached Soma Devta with this problem. Som Dev told the ancestors that only Brahma ji can tell the solution to this problem of yours. You should go to them.
After this, all the ancestors reached Brahma ji. The ancestors told Brahma ji that we have indigestion due to eating too much food of Shraddha continuously, due to which there is a lot of suffering, please tell us how we can overcome this problem.
At that time, Agnidev was also present near Brahma ji. Brahma ji told the ancestors that Agni Dev is standing near me, Agni Dev will tell you the solution to this problem. After this, Agni Dev told the ancestors that from now on, whenever Shraddha is done, then all of you should take food with me, when I will be with you, then your food will be easily digested.
Hearing this from Agni Dev, all the ancestors became free from worry. From this episode onwards, food was offered to the ancestors through incense-meditation i.e. fire while performing Shraddha Karma.
Now know the things you need to do sun-meditation and how to do sun-meditation.
Essentials: Cow dung combs, havan kund or any other utensils for incense, ghee, black sesame seeds, rice, jaggery, camphor, copper pot filled with water, flowers, seat for sitting. If all these things are not available, then incense meditation can be done by remembering the ancestors with reverence with water, sesame seeds, embers of thorns and jaggery-ghee. If you want, you can also make kheer-puri. Kheer-puri is also incense.
