The festival of Pitru Paksha is dedicated to honoring our ancestors and includes various practices to eliminate Pitru Dosh, which basically aims to remove any displeasure of the ancestors and bring peace to their souls. Pitru Paksha begins with Bhadrapada Purnima. Before this is Somvati Amavasya, which falls on Bhadrapada Amavasya. On Somvati Amavasya, worshipping Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and performing rituals like bathing and making donations can help in fulfilling your wishes. There are simple practices that you can follow on Somvati Amavasya to get blessings from your ancestors. For more information on the auspicious timing of Somvati Amavasya and effective measures to honor ancestors, contact Dr. Mrityunjay Tiwari, Head, Department of Astrology, Shri Kallaji Vedic University.

Somvati Amavasya 2024: Muhurat

Bhadrapada Krishna Amavasya Tithi starts: September 2nd at 5:21 am

Bhadrapada Krishna Amavasya Tithi ends on September 3rd at 7:24 am

Brahma Muhurta: 04:29 to 05:15 am

Abhijeet Muhurta: 11:55 am to 12:46 pm

Shradh opening hours: 11:30 am to 3:30 pm

On Somvati Amavasya, take a bath during Brahma Muhurta. Begin by worshipping the Sun God. Then pay obeisance to your ancestors by remembering them. After invoking their presence, offer them water, black sesame seeds and white flowers. These offerings help to appease their anger and invite their blessings. On Somvati Amavasya, you can perform the Shradha rituals for your ancestors. Specifically, Tripindi Shradha is performed to address Pitru Dosh and bring peace to the souls of your ancestors. This ritual helps to make the ancestors happy and invite their blessings.

To please the ancestors, on the occasion of Somvati Amavasya, you can light a lamp facing south in the evening when it gets dark. This lamp can be made of mustard oil. On Somvati Amavasya, prepare food in the morning and offer a portion of it to your ancestors. It is believed that this food reaches them through animals like cows, crows and dogs. This practice, known as Panchbali Karma, helps in pleasing the ancestors. On the day of Amavasya, you can donate white clothes to please your ancestors. You can also donate grains and fruits to a poor Brahmin.