The new moon day is called Amavasya and is observed as a day of fasting in many Hindu households. Since the Hindu calendar is organized according to the lunar month, Amavasya is the beginning of the new lunar month which lasts approximately 30 days. Many festivals, the most famous being Diwali, are observed on this day. The importance of Amavasya is that it is a day of new beginnings. It is a time to discard the old (habits, thought processes, failures and negative influences) and embrace the promise of new ‘light’ that the new moon brings to us. The ‘dark’ side of the moon is revealed on this day as the moon completes its waning cycle of approximately 15 days.

On New Moon days the presiding Deities are MOTHER KALI and one’s ANCESTORS (PITARS). One offers prayers to Mother Kali as well as food offerings to one’s ancestors. Do note that the Mother Kali prayers are optional, but the Ancestors prayers are HIGHLY advised.

Mother Kali Prayers

Below is a simple prayer format to perform to Mother Kali. At your prayer place, in front of a picture/murti of Mother Kali, stand or sit and pray to Mother Kali.

Om swagatam su swagatam – Om Kali mata-yai namah avaaha-yamee stapa-yamee.

Swagatam means “Oh Mother Kali I welcome you”.

Thereafter offer three incense sticks (Dhoopam) seven times clockwise around the picture/murti, while chanting:

Om tato dhoopam aghraa-payaami – Om Kali mata-yai namah.

Thereafter offer a clay lamp {with oil and a wick/or a piece of camphor} – (Deepam) seven times clockwise around the picture/murti, while chanting:

Om prat-yaksha deepam darsha-yaami – Om Kali mata-yai namah.

Thereafter offer a flower or flower petals (Pushpam) seven times clockwise around the picture/murti, while chanting:

Om idam pushpam – Om Kali mata-yai namah.

Thereafter offer sweet food/sweets/fruits (Naivedyam), in a bowl. Leave it in front of the picture/murti, while chanting:

Om naivedyam samar-payaami – Om Kali mata-yai namah

Now you may chant this extremely powerful DEVI mantra, namely:

“Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche Namah” 11, 21 or 108 times

Meaning: I/we seek blessings from the Divine Mothers, who have forms of Maha Saraswati Aim (Giver of Knowledge), Maha Lakshmi Hrim (Giver of Wealth), Maha Kali Klim (Giver of Justice), to give me/us a Shield of strength and Energy to untangle my/ourselves from the knots of negativity and Evil from my/our Mind and Body.

If you so desire to hear the above mantra online, then kindly click on this link:

If you so desire to chant the Kali Chalisa, then you may as well.

Thereafter offer prayers for forgiveness to the lotus feet of Mother Kali.

Om yaani kaani cha paapaani janmaantara kritaanee cha,
taani sarvaani vinashyanti pradakshinaa pade pade//

Finally offer your personal prayers to Mother Kali. Pray to Mother Kali and ask for whatever you want, and the Mother, being so merciful, will grant what you desire.

Ancestor Pitar Water and Food Offerings

Pitar (male)/Matri (female) Dosha is not just the curse of the ancestors, but it is also a debt formed as a result of bad/negative deeds performed by one’s ancestors, and this debt has to be paid by the present generation either by taking the punishment decided according to that debt or by doing some specific good Karmic deeds which would help pay this debt so that the degree of punishment may be decreased.

The Results of Pitar Matri Dosha

House peace is disturbed, lack of progeny, separation between husband and wife, chronic diseases, accidents, depression, disturbed sleep, dreams, problems on a subconscious level, psychological problems, hidden enemies, sudden change in profession, heavy unwanted expenses, vigorous travelling, suicidal tendencies, many hurdles in life, difficulty in returning loans and lots of debts.

Remedial Measure to Counteract a Pitar Matri Dosha

• Offering water (tarpan) and food offerings on New Moon days every month.
• Perform Rudrabhishekam (Abhishek to Lord Shiva) in the name of your ancestors. This is something that you can do yourself. In this puja Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Lingam. Abhishek (bathing) and worship are performed.

In a wide, deepish container you are now going to bathe the Lingam.

In 5 little lotas/chumbhus have the following:

• One lota of cold milk.
• In a lota add 1 pinch of ghee and fill the rest with warmish water and mix.
• In a lota fill half with yoghurt and half with water and mix.
• In a lota add 1 tsp honey and fill the rest with warmish water and mix.
• In a lota add 1 tsp sugar/gur (Jaggery) and fill the rest with warmish water and mix.

Then with more warm water bathe the Lingam.

With a cloth hand towel, wipe the excess from the Lingam.

Place the Lingam back where it was.

Mark the Lingam with three stripes of chandan and dot the middle stripe with Kungu powder. Dress the Lingam with a white cloth and then garland (optional) the Lingam.

On a tray have the following: 3 incense sticks (light them), a clay lamp with some ghee or camphor and wick (light it), and flower petals. In a clockwise direction, offer them to the Lingam 7 or 9 times.

Offer the Lingam the appropriate food like sweet rice or fruits.

You can perform this on Mondays, Saturdays and especially New Moon days.

Whatever vegetarian meal one cooks on that day, he/she can offer to one’s Pitars – just as one does in Pitar Paksha/Mahalaya Paksham. By performing this act, great merits await that person. In the Garuda Purana Preta Khanda II 10.50-55 Lord Vishnu says to Shree Garudaji: “On the day of Amavasya (new moon day), the airy manes (the ancestors) stand at the door of their descendants in order to receive their food. They remain there till sunset. When they do not receive their food they fall in despair and out of suffering heave long sighs and go back cursing the descendants. Therefore, one should carefully perform shraddha (offer food) to one’s ancestors on the new moon day (Amavasya) every month”. So why are you hearing this for the first time? Well, that’s a million-dollar question, which I can’t answer.

DO NOTE: THE ANCESTOR OFFERINGS MUST BE OFFERED BETWEEN SUNRISE AND SUNSET. They should not be offered before or after this period for maximum spiritual credits.

Dipika’s humble suggestion on what to prepare for your beloved Ancestors is provided in the picture below.

According to the Mahabharata and Kurma Purana, “The Pitars are highly satisfied with food ingredients like – Vrihi (rice grains). So cook rice (with turmeric) as well as sweet rice (kheer). Pitars love cooked Black Urad Dal and a variety of pumpkin preparations, cook herbs, wheat and barley based products, use root vegetables like potato, sweet potato, yams/madumbe, beetroot, carrots, ginger, turmeric etc. Pitars love phalaa (fruits especially mango, grapes, pomegranate {anar}). The Pitars become pleased with offerings of Milk, honey and gur (a form of sugar) with fruits.”

In the picture provided on the next page, on the thari there is a cup of water, a cup of milk, basmati rice, potato curry and salad. Kindly note presentation is most important. OR one may just prepare cut fruits, a cup of water and a cup of milk. This depends on your availability of time.

Once the food preparation is completed, offer this at your prayer place to Lakshmi-Narayana (Vishnu/Hari). Leave it for 5 minutes, then take the thari outside to a clean place and offer this offering to your ancestors, facing the south direction. While facing south, remember your ancestors. Light one incense and turn it three times around the thari. Arpana is performed by sprinkling some water around the offerings three times in a clockwise direction.

Now chant:

Om pitri devaaya namah – three times
Shree krishna sharanam mamah – three times
and finally the Maha-Mantra
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” – three times

Then finally bow and take your leave.

Leave the tray until the evening. In the evening dispose of the food on the ground where ants, birds and other creatures of the Lord will consume this prashad.

A HUMAN NEVER CONSUMES THIS FOOD ONCE OFFERED TO ONE’S ANCESTORS.

Questions and Answers

Can We Offer Meat Alcohol and Cigarettes During New Moon Ancestor Prayers

Question: Can we offer meat, alcohol and cigarettes when we perform our New Moon ancestor prayers? We have been doing it this way for as long as I can remember because my grandparents used to eat meat, drink alcohol and smoke. Is this correct?

Answer: Before one offers food to one’s ancestors, one must offer the food to Lord Vishnu, which then becomes Vishnu prasad, and then a portion of that food is offered to one’s ancestors… Now ask yourself, would it be correct to offer meat, cigarettes and alcohol to Lord Vishnu… OF COURSE NOT. It’s a very great sin to offer any un-sattvic foods (e.g. meat and any type of intoxicants) to one’s ancestors. The following three verses are proof in Vedic shastras.

“It is Dharma that in the Shraddha feast one should never offer meat nor should one eat meat. Only vegetarian food must be offered because meat is obtained by killing”. (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.15.7).

“Vegetarian food prepared with pure butter, milk, sugar and curd, etc. are most pleasing to the Pitrs (Ancestors)”. (Matsya Purana 17.30).

“Cow’s milk, honey and the sweet pudding made of milk and rice and sugar with dry nuts satisfies the Pitrs (Ancestors)”. (Matsya Purana 17.36).

How Certain Are We That the Food We Offer Goes to Our Ancestors

Question: How certain are we that the food that we offer goes to our ancestors?

Answer: In the Garuda Purana Preta Khanda 19. 26-27 Shree Garuda-ji asks: “O Lord Vishnu, things are gifted by the relatives at home in the favour of the deceased. How do they reach the deceased and who receives them?” Lord Vishnu replied “O Garuda, Varuna dev (the deva in charge of the oceans) receives those gifts and hands them over to Me. I give them to Suryadev, and from Suryadev the deceased person obtains them” so from the above verse it is quite clear that whatever you give on behalf of, or the food that you offer to, your ancestors, the food/gift goes to that entity in whatever form it is in.

If this article did interest you, then you will find the following article named “Sacred Information Ancestor Prayers and Offerings” on DIPIKA interesting as well. You may Ctrl-click (HERE) for a quick link on DIPIKA to learn more about this article.

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