Mahalaya Amavasya - auspicious day to pay obeisance to ancestors
Posted on: 08/Oct/2018 12:05:51 PM
Mahalaya Amavasya is a sacred day in the Hindu religious tradition. It is considered to be the most auspicious day to pay obeisance to the ancestors and seek their blessing and be blessed with a healthy and prosperous life.
The centuries’ old tradition has the faith that paying obeisance to the ancestors on this day will help clear all our sins and pave the way for a better life.
The Hindu Sastras suggest that the Hindus should follow the tradition of paying obeisance to the ancestors, especially, to the departed parents by performing ‘tarpan’ on the New Moon Day (Amavasya).
Performing tarpan would appease the souls of the ancestors who will offer their blessings and all our sins will get wiped out.
Though New Moon Day occurs at least once in a month (sometimes twice) , the New Moon Days falling on the Tamil calendar months of Thai, Aadi, and Purattasi are considered to be more sacred. The New Moon Day falling in the Tamil calendar month of Purattasi is known as ‘Mahalaya Amavasya’.
Those who failed to pay obeisance to the ancestors on other New Moon Days due to various reasons as simply forgetting or because of lack of opportunity can best offer obeisance to the ancestors on this Mahalaya Amavasya Day can still avail the full effects of attaining the blessings of the ancestors who help wash our sins away.
The Hindu tradition has the myth the ancestors visit the planet Earth on this day of Mahalaya Amavasya.
It is ideally recommended that one should recall and pray the ancestors on this day and take bath in the holy water bodies such as rivers, ponds, and oceans and then perform the ‘tarpan’.
The ideal time for performing this is the noon session. One should pray the ancestors with wholehearted faith and devotion and offer the ancestors with rice, vegetables, fruits, Dhakshina, and new clothes during the prayer. After the prayer, these items can be distributed to the poor section of the society. This would enable lots of goods to happen in the lives,
Further, with this special prayer, obstacles such as stopped marriages. Being unemployed, prolonged illnesses will get solved and cleared and provide relief and mental peace and happiness. Offering leaves of August tree – ‘Agathikkeerai’ in Tamil – to the cows on this day of Mahalaya Amavasya would yield excellent benefits.
