The Importance of Mahalaya Amavashya in Hinduism

The Importance of Mahalaya Amavashya in Hinduism

Mahalaya Amavashya is an auspicious time which starts before the festival of Durga Puja and heralds the advent of Goddess Durga, the goddess of supreme power.

Mahalaya Amavashya can be said to be an invocation to the mother goddess to descend on earth – “Jago Tumi Jago“.

significance of Mahalya Amavashya

Importance of Mahalaya Amavashya

It is believed that after the death of a person, the soul would remain in an intermediate world (loka) known as the Pitru loka. The soul stays in the pitru loka until the fourth descendant enters the same and once the fourth descendant comes, the first soul would move to the heaven or the swarga loka.

So at any given time, only three generations of the soul would reside in the pitru loka. This world is governed by Lord Yama. It is believed that the souls of the ancestors would come down and reside with the descendants in their homes during this period and hence one should perform the traditional ritual to satisfy the ancestors.

Mahalaya Amavashya the channel to get the blessings of the ancestors

Mahalaya Amavasai or Pithru Amavasai is the new moon day of Pithru Paksham or Mahalaya Paksham, the fortnight which is especially sacred for offering oblations to the departed ancestors.

It is believed that performing Tarpanams during the auspicious Mahalaya Paksham – will bless your ancestors and will free them from all their sins. Each day in the Mahalaya Paksham is ruled by a particular Tithi or Moon Phase and the benefits of offering Tarpanam on each day are different.

Mahalaya Amavasai is the last day of the Mahalaya Paksham, which is considered as the most important day in the year for performing obsequies and rites, and on this day people donate food, clothes, etc.

Donating food is considered to be the greatest charity of all the charities and it is believed that whoever donates food will attain an ‘elevated status’. There is an interesting legend highlighting the importance of donating food from the great epic Mahabharata.

The Story Behind Mahalaya Amavasya

After Karna, the well-known donor, who had never said ‘no’ as the answer for anything that was asked of him, died and was taken to heaven. He was offered gold and silver as food. Karna was hungry and wanted to have normal food that he can eat.

He approached Indra and asked the reason for not being served with normal food. Indra replied that you have donated all the items that people wanted but never had a chance to donate food and hence was not offered the normal food.

Karna prayed to Indra for a remedy to this – and asked him to allow him to return to Earth and donate rice and other eatables. Indra agreed and it is believed that Karna came to earth on these days to donate food.

After which it is now – believed – that ancestors would return to earth on these days and hence the ritual of Shraadham is performed on these days.
Mahalaya Paksha – The Ancestors’ Time Great enlightened beings, who have turned their body into light, visit the earth daily in their light form. Our departed ancestors also come and stay on this earth plane for 15 days in a year in our body, mind, and soul and can change all these three things positively.

Even Gods cannot do what these ancestors can do for you; in fact, Gods ask you to go through your ancestors for blessings. Thus the auspicious days of Mahalaya Paksha ( Mahalaya Amavasya ) – are in fact the most important two week period to appreciate your departed ancestors.

Importance of the 15 Moons of Mahalaya Amavasya

The Maha ancestral ritual spans from the 1st Moon till the Amavasya and each day is ruled by a specific phase of the Moon.

Benefits of donating food to your pitrus ( ancestors ) on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya

Have you ever felt that for no apparent reason, you are constantly suffering? You are a pious, God-fearing person, you do not indulge in backbiting or wrongdoing consciously, yet you or your family members are always undergoing one or the other type of problems. Astrology has a perfect explanation for this problem.

It is due to the fact that the soul of our ancestors & departed forefathers does not get peace (Shanti). If knowingly or unknowingly our ancestors have done some mistakes, they are reflected in our Horoscope as Pitru Dosham or Pitra Rina and being their offsprings we are destined to suffer from their bad effects – because of the malefic effect of the inflicted planets, the benefic planets also stop giving favorable results.

Mahalaya Amavashya

Pitru Dosham is due to any of the following main reason:

• Bad deeds (bad karma ) of our ancestors in earlier life, knowingly or unknowingly, are embarrassing their souls.
• Bad deeds ( bad karma ) of children, knowingly or unknowingly, are embarrassing the soul of ancestors.
• Lack of fulfillment of parental desires of our ancestors.
•  A sudden and unnatural death of any relative ancestors in early age.
•  If someone fails to remember and honor the ancestors properly.
•  If certain wishes are remained attached with the soul of the ancestors, etc.

Mahalaya Amavasya is a very great time to donate food to our ancestors – and one should not think of skipping it on any count. It is said in Sastras that this paskha has immense values and gives satisfaction to the pitrus.

During the paksha the souls of the pitrus will descend to earth in the form of spirits and will be present around their current biological descendants to see their conditions.

Hence nitya tarpana is highly recommended if possible. I may also add that during the Mahalaya paksha one can perform the sraddha on any convenient day, not necessarily on the day of his father’s thithi.