“akrOdhanA: shoucha-parA: satatam brahmachArini: nyasta-shasthrA mahA bhAgA pitara: poorvadEvatA:” In order to know WHY one should do pitru tarpaNam, it is important to understand : Those who do only the til tarpaNa with water on the chandra grahan or soorya grahan (eclipses) days, or the 3 ashTakA days or the beginning of uttarAyanA or dakshiNAyanA with devotion will be deemed to have done shrAddh for 1000 years. The shrAddh done on the 4 ugAdi days (when the 4 yugAs began) bestow endless “puNya”. vishnu purANA, chapter 3, adhyAy 14, verses 12 to 14 say: The shrAddh/tarpaNam in honour of the pitrUs bestows wealth, fame, longevity, heaven, destruction of enemies and progeny.Ģ. MahAbhAratam, anusAsana parva section 145 says: kuzhi tarpaNam at the time of death of parents.ġ. parEhani tarpaNam on the day following the annual shrAddh of the parents.Ĥ. grahaNa tarpaNam on the solar and lunar eclipse.ģ. Shannavati tarpaNam on the 96 days of the year.Ģ. Pitru tarpaNAs are performed under the following 5 categories:ġ. In due course of time, since long rituals were difficult to follow, great seers have given us a discount for us to do them without totally stopping the shrAddh. The monthly tarpaNams were originally supposed to be performed as shrAddh. One who does the shrAddh ritual with sincerity pleases Lord BrahmA, IndrA, rudrA, ashwinikumArAs, soorya, visvEdEvAs, pitrugaNAs, men, vasu gaNAs, marut ganAs, animals, cows, rishigaNAs and all other small visible and invisible creatures, and thereby, the whole universe. In Vishnu purANA, chapter 3, adhyAy 14, slOkas 1 and 2, sage ourva expounds: ( They may be in heaven, may be reborn as men or trees or in any other form).refer tarpaNam mantra taken from Yajur Veda Samhita “oorjam vahantee: amrutam ghrutam paya: keelAlam parishrutam svadhAstha tarpayata mE pitrUn”. We then request at the end of the tarpaNam, that this til and water be converted into suitable food for the pitrUs may it be amrutam, ghee, water, milk, grass, blood or any other food according to their present requirement. We then offer water which they love and til with mantras. :Refer “vasurudrAditya swaroopAnAm” in tarpaNam mantrA. We invoke the pitrUs in the form of the presiding deities of the pitru Loka and the tarpaNam, the vasu, rudra and AdityA, on the bhugnam /koorcham, in due order of the 3 generations. Pitru tarpaNam is offered to 3 generations of ancestors viz: paternal and maternal father, grandfather and great grandfather and their respective wives so that they are exalted to higher spiritual planes. Out of the above 5, tarpaNam is one of the yagyAs. Manusmriti further says in 3.70, पितृ यज्ञस्तु तर्पणं, pitru yagyas tu tarpaNam It is to expiate all these five sins that the “pancha mahA yagyAs” were prescribed daily for householders”. He kills millions of small and invisible creatures daily, which bind him to inevitable sin. The hearth (stove), the grinding-stone, the broom, the pestle and mortar, the water vessel. “There are 5 slaughter houses in the house of a householder. “pancha soonA gruhastasya chullee pEShaNyupaskara: kaNdanee cha udakumbhash cha badhyatE yAs tu vAhayan” This “pitruyagya” is one of the “pancha mahAyagyAs – 5 yagyAs”. This is an opportunity to honour the sages, gods, parents, ancestors and friends. Offering libations of water and til (gingely) to the pitrus (deceased parents and ancestors – manes) to satisfy and elevate them to higher spiritual planes is called “pitru tarpaNam”.