Shraadh

Shraadh is a Sanskrit word which literally means anything done sincerity and faith (shraddha is the Sanskrit word for faith). In the Hindu religion, the term denotes the ritual that one performs to paying homage to one’s dead ancestors (pitR^i), and especially to one’s deceased parents, either on the anniversary of their death or during the dark fortnight called Pitri Paksha (usually falls in September or October, or both).

Conceptually, performing shraadhs is a way of expressing our heartfelt gratitude and thanks to our parents and ancestors, for having helped us to be what we are. It can also can be thought of as a “day of remembrance”.

In practice, the karta(person who performs Shraadh) invites Brahmanaas(individuals who are considered to be very noble, worthy, knowledgeable etc) that day, imagines they are his/her parent, performs a homa(offering cooked rice to the sacred fire,(Agni)),serves them with sumptuous food,and treats them with all hospitality and finally does “pinda pradaana”.(pinda--balls made of rice, given as offerings to the pitR^i).The Karta then gives "dakshina" to the brahmanaas(giving money to them,with all due respect).He finally asks them what is to be done of the remaining food and once the Brahmanaas give their consent,the karta and his family have the food.(there are various other actions done,to show respect to the Brahmanaas,like washing their feet,etc, during the course of shraaddha).

Shraadh is a ritual performed every year by a Hindu on the death anniversary of his father or mother. During a shraddha, he offers food to the 'pithr' (Sanskrit for ancestor) by putting cooked rice and vegetable into the fire (it is offered in very small quantities and just a small piece of cooked vegetable is added). It is to remember old generations and a paying tributes to the dead. A Brahmin priest helps the 'karta' (the guy who actually performs) to perform the ritual, since the mantras are in Sanskrit and the layman does not know them. Similarly, there is a series of actions to be performed with which only the purohit (priest) is well-versed. The karta repeats the mantras after the purohit and performs the actions as instructed by the purohit. At the end, the purohit is given money as fees for his service.

In addition, two brahmins are also invited to the house during the shraddha. Through mantras, one is nominated as 'pithr' (ancestors) and the other as 'visvedeva' (guide). These two brahmins are given a foot-wash, dress consisting of cotton dhoti, then treated to a feast and finally given money for their trouble of coming to the karta's house. During the proceedings the karta is supposed to imagine they are his own father, grandfather and great grandfather and treat them as such with all respect.

For a complete and comprehensive explanation of why and how its is done, please refer to the book titled “Shraadh”, in kannada language, by Prof(Rtd).R.K.SrikantaKumaraswamy,IIT,Chennai. For more details about the book, please contact chetuh@yahoo.com

Since this is one of the most important and noble “samskaraas” that the hindu sages have envisaged, it is imperative that the performer of the ritual understands what he/she is doing. Only then, will the true intent of the ritual be fulfilled and the performer of the ritual feel completely gratified. Else, the ritual becomes just a mechanical exercise for one’s part.

Shraadh means "faith" in Sanskrit, from PIE *k'red-dhoh, literally "to give the heart", cognate to Latin credo "to believe"). RV 10.151 is dedicated to shraddha.

Shraddha is also a popular Indian female name, comparable to "Faith" as a personal name in English.

• Shraadh at the Banglapedia