Kishmish, Honey and the Pitru Beesa — A Sixteen-Day Pitru Paksha Prayog from Purnima to Amavasya

The speaker opens by saying whom this prayog is meant for. When one moves further ahead in the tantra field, he says, some people's inclination turns more towards the Pitr. They wish to do some naimittik karma for the pitr of their kula, by which the pitr obtain tripti and their own work gets done. He adds a second group: those whose pitr are very greatly dissatisfied, or who have had their janma kundli examined and found in it various kinds of dosha connected with Pitru Dosha. In such a condition, he says, the prayog he is giving today should be done. On timing, he says: do this work in Pitr Paksha — that is best of all — or else do it only on Amavasya. For making it siddh, it is Pitru Paksha that serves. He defines Pitru Paksha as the sixteen-day period from the Poornima tithi of Bhadrapada Maas up to the Sarva Pitru Amavasya tithi, and says the work is to be done within that time.

For doing this, the speaker says, you will need about twenty-one kishmish every day, and honey. Take at least 250 grams of honey and keep it at one time. One small silver vessel will be needed. For kindling the agyari — for lighting the fire — you need an earthen vessel. Take it round, take it four-cornered, take it however you like; you may take it quadrangular. Along with that, among the other things, a little of cow's desi GhritClarified butter, the standard medium of ahuti in havan and of the ritual lamp. will be needed, about 50 grams. This, he stresses, is the daily quantity he is giving. He continues the list: a little raw milk in a silver glass or else in a copper vessel; KapoorCamphor, burnt at the close of worship.; there will be white cloth and a Kusha Asana. A kusha PavitriA ring woven from kusha grass and worn on the ring finger, required for pitr karma and many other rites. is very necessary in this krama, he says — the pavitri should be with you.

A kusha PavitriA ring woven from kusha grass and worn on the ring finger, required for pitr karma and many other rites., the speaker says, you will find in shops nowadays too, or you may get one made by some pandit ji. How the pavitri is to be worn, how it is put on — ask a pandit ji and he will tell you. He then gives the ordinary rule himself: the pavitri is worn on the finger beside the smallest finger. At the time of TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan., he notes, one wears the pavitri on both hands. You may do it that way here as well; but at the very least the right hand must certainly have the pavitri while this karma is being done.

With the materials gathered, the speaker turns to place. On the Poornima day, if you do this work at some temple of Narayan, or under a PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. tree, or on some river bank, that is best of all. If you are doing it at home, do it at a place where your devi-devtas do not have their seat. It is not that this work is done in the puja room — it is not to be done in the puja room. Do it in the outer part of the house, in the courtyard, in the brahma sthan, or on the roof. He gives the reason near the end of the talk, calling it the one thing to keep in special attention: if the Pitr are not already worshipped at that place, they will not be able to come there. First of all, he says, do the puja-path that has to be done in your house. Then this work is to be done after nine o'clock in the day and up to four o'clock in the evening. Do it in the midday period, which is best of all — between nine and four.

The speaker gives the procedure step by step. First of all, kindle the kande of cow dung in the ordinary way. After they are kindled, give three ahutis of ghee in the names of Guru and Ganesha ji: first one Ahuti in the name of guru ji, after that one in the name of Ganpati ji, and after that one in the name of the kula matrikas. Guru, Ganpati and kula matrika — three ahutis. Thereafter, the Pitru Beesa. He says he has given it on this channel; download its PDF file from there. It has twenty lines in it, twenty chaupais. After each path — after reciting each single line, each single chaupai — dip one kishmish into honey. The honey is to be taken out into a silver bowl. Dip the kishmish into it and go on casting it onto the cow-dung kande you have lit. That is, there will be twenty ahutis. The last time, say "mam sarva kula pitrubhyo namah", and with that, swadha — and cast it in. He does not recite the twenty chaupais in the talk; they are in the PDF he refers to.

Having described the twentieth kishmish, the speaker stops on the word that closes each ahuti. SwahaThe closing utterance for an oblation offered into fire for the devas, as distinct from Swadha, used for the pitrs. is not said here, he says; SwadhaThe closing utterance for an oblation offered to the pitrs, as distinct from Swaha, which closes an offering to the devas. is said. As one speaks swaha, so speak swadha and cast the offering in. He extends this backwards to the opening of the karma. In the Ahuti given at the beginning as well — "om guru", whatever mantra of guru ji you are casting in — in that too you will pronounce swadha; you will not say swaha.

So, the speaker says, if you do this work daily in this manner from Poornima up to the Amavasya tithi, then this Pitru Beesa becomes siddh for the sake of the Pitr. He gives the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. in his own words, and says it is just this: that the pitr of my kula be satisfied, be at peace, that they obtain tripti and do my welfare; and that whatever dosha connected with the pitr is present in my family, in anyone's kundli at all, that dosha be pacified — that the Pitru Dosha be quieted. This work, he says, you may do.

In this there is no adverse effect at all, the speaker says; no Tiryak Prabhava will be obtained by you from it. But this thing is not to be done at your place of worship. This alone, he says, is to be kept in special attention, because if the Pitr are not already worshipped there, they will not be able to come into that place. So do this work. He closes with what the siddh Pitru Beesa is for afterwards. Whenever you wish to do something for the sake of the pitr — if you do sadhana and want to do an AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. for the pitr, or want to do anything for them — recite this same Pitru Beesa while doing it, and you may do any work for their sake. In that, he says, you will get a hundred per cent success.