Dates: September 7–21, 2025
(beginning the day after the full moon and ending on the new moon)
Did you know that the pain of our ancestors can endure through many generations? And when we stay open to our ancestors it acts as an early warning system that helps to protect us from unnecessary hardship, illness or premature death.
What is Pitr Paksha?
Pitr Paksha, or Pitru Paksha, literally means “fortnight of the ancestors.” It is a sacred two-week period in the Hindu lunar calendar set aside each year to honor, remember, and give offerings to one’s ancestors (pitrs).
In the Vedic worldview, this time is believed to be when the veil between the worlds is thin, allowing easier communication and blessings between the living and the departed souls. The ancestors are said to “descend” closer to the earthly realm, awaiting love, remembrance, and ritual offerings from their descendants.
Just as the West has All Souls’ Day or Día de los Muertos, Pitr Paksha is a time for ancestral connection, remembrance, and healing intergenerational ties.
We can see whether there is Pitr Dosha (Pitru Dosha) in your Vedic birth chart.
In fact, identifying ancestral disturbances or unresolved karma from one’s lineage is one of the unique strengths of Jyotish.
What is Pitr Dosha?
Pitr Dosha (or Pitru Dosha) means a “blemish related to the ancestors”
It is a karmic imbalance that arises due to:
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- Unfulfilled duties toward ancestors
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- Early or unnatural deaths in the family
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- Ancestral pain, unresolved grief, or neglected lineage energy
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- Past-life karmas affecting the soul’s relationship with its lineage
It does not mean your ancestors are “cursing” you — but rather that some karmic energy related to your lineage remains unresolved and may show up as challenges in your life (especially in areas like marriage, children, health, or finances).
- Past-life karmas affecting the soul’s relationship with its lineage
Why it Matters
Even if you weren’t raised in a Hindu household, Pitr Paksha offers a powerful universal invitation: to pause and acknowledge the lineages that live through us. Whether biological, adoptive, spiritual, or cultural, these lineages have shaped us — and connecting with them can be profoundly healing.
In Vedic thought, unresolved energies from the past can linger in our subconscious and affect our sense of peace, our relationships, and even the clarity of our soul’s purpose. This period is a time to make peace with the past, offer gratitude, and open the way forward.
Core Themes of Pitr Paksha
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- Gratitude for ancestors
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- Healing of intergenerational trauma
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- Releasing unresolved karma or grief
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- Offering prayers and nourishment to the subtle body
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- Contemplation on death and the soul’s journey
- Contemplation on death and the soul’s journey
A Time for Healing Lineages
Pitr Paksha is not only about reverence — it is a time when ancestral patterns can be seen and transformed. Whether you have gratitude or grief, pride or pain in your lineage, this fortnight allows you to bless what was and call in what wants to be.
Even just lighting a candle, offering a prayer, or sitting with a photo in quiet meditation sends a deep signal into the subtle realms: you are remembered, and you are released.
Final Thoughts
Pitr Paksha 2025 is a gift — a portal for spiritual housekeeping. It invites us to slow down, look back with awareness, and clear the path ahead for ourselves and future generations.
Let this be a time not of ritual perfection, but of heartful intention.
We all have the opportunity to support our physical & psychological health and our Ancestors in many ways. It really is not that difficult.
Many places around the world maintain relationships with their ancestors through holidays such as Celtic Samhain, Mexican Day of the Dead and the Japanese Obon Festival.
At other times of the year, communities may call upon ancestors for guidance and healing*.
“If my living family or recent ancestors are abusive, unloving, dysfunctional, absent, or otherwise uninspiring, why in the world would I want to connect with them?”
One reason to connect with them is to make sure that they’re not already connecting with you in an unhelpful way. Until the deceased join the ranks of the loving ancestors, they can weigh heavy on our lives.
Benefits of Ancestral Work:
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- Reflecting on your ancestors may boost intellectual performance and confidence.
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- Awareness of family predispositions, including behavioral health risks, may
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- Encourage life choices that benefit you and future generations.
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- Forgiveness, a common component of family healing and ancestral repair work, which promotes greater physical and mental health.
To address or mitigate Pitra Dosha, there are certain ancestral remedies and rituals that you may perform at home. Here is one simple ancestral remedy that can be done during the upcoming Pitru Paksha:
Pitr Tarpan is a ritual performed to honor and seek blessings from your ancestors. It involves offering water, sesame seeds, rice, and black sesame seeds to departed ancestors. During these 14 days between the full moon and Amavasya, it is the time on the Vedic Lunar calendar to dedicate and honor our ancestors.
The purpose of Tarpana is to seek blessings and forgiveness from the departed souls and ensure their spiritual progress in the afterlife. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to perform a simple Tarpana at home:
Ingredients and Tools:
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- A copper or silver plate or a clean area of soil near a water body like a river, pond, or lake.
- Black sesame seeds or rice grains.
- A small, clean bowl filled with water.
- Black sesame oil or ghee (clarified butter).
- A spoon.
- Flowers, incense sticks, and a lamp (optional).
- A photo or representation of the deceased ancestor (if available).
Procedure:
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- Choose a Suitable Location: Find a quiet and clean spot near a water body, if possible. Place the plate or clean area there.
- Set Up the Plate: Place the photo or representation of the deceased ancestor (if available) in the center of the plate or clean area.
- Sankalpa (resolve): Begin by taking a few moments to meditate and set a clear intention for the Tarpana. Mentally address your ancestors and express your gratitude and love for them.
- Prepare the Tarpana Material: Take a small quantity of black sesame seeds or rice grains in your right hand. Add a few drops of black sesame oil or ghee to it. Mix it gently while chanting the pitr’s name or the mantra “Om Pitrabhya Namah” (ॐ पितृभ्य नमः) three times.
- Offering Water: Take the spoon (with left hand) and pour a small amount of water into the palm of your right hand. While holding the water, recite the name of the ancestor and your gotra (ancestral lineage). Then, sprinkle the water over the Tarpana material on the plate, symbolizing the offering to the pitr. Let the water roll through the thumb and index finger.
- (You may say: “To all the ancestors of 6 generations on my mother’s side. To all 6 generations of my father’s side. Please receive this offering”.
- Offer Tarpana Material: Offer the Tarpana material (sesame seeds or rice mixed with oil or ghee) on the plate while continuing to recite the mantras.
- Pray and Seek Blessings: Express your gratitude to your ancestors, seek their blessings, and ask for forgiveness for your mistakes or shortcomings. Pray for their peace and spiritual progress.(You may say: “Let this offer nourish your soul, release yourself and let go of all worldly attachments. Be free and move into the light. As you move into the light, please bless me and my family”.)
- Dispose of the Offerings: After completing the offerings, you can either leave the Tarpana material on the plate for birds and animals to consume, or you can immerse it in the nearby water as an offering.
- Conclude the Ritual: Conclude the Tarpana by bowing down and offering flowers, incense sticks, and a lamp if you have them. Express your love and respect for your ancestors once more.
- Clean Up: Ensure you clean the area and plate thoroughly after the ritual.
It’s essential to approach these ancestral remedies with respect for cultural traditions and beliefs and to perform Tarpana with sincerity, devotion and a pure heart. If you decide to do this ritual set the intention to do this all 14 days. People who believe they may be affected by Pitru Dosha often consult with knowledgeable priests, astrologers, or spiritual leaders who can guide them in performing the appropriate rituals and remedies.
*Daniel Foor, Ancestral Medicine
** Prasna Marga XV .36-38