REMEMBERING THE ANCESTORS,THE DEPARTED NEAR AND DEAR .........SHRADDHA.

AGNI THE SACRED FIRE Remembering our departed near and dear is a part of all cultures throughout the world.The Christians visit the graveyards and place flowers and pray annually and on special functions.The Muslims also offer prayers to the departed. In Hindu culture the annual prayer day is known as "Shraddha"which literally means respect or concentration. When a human being dies, the subtle body gets freed from the dead body after performing the ritual of Shraddha and it gets position in the subtle plane meant for souls of dead persons. At that moment it assumes the designation of Pitru. The first annual death anniversary is observed by a shraddha ceremony that enables the deceased (preta) to be admitted into the assembly of forefathers (pitru). So Shradha is rites performed to appease our departed ancestors with several offerings of food (to appease hunger), clothes, water (to appease thirst) or Daha shanti etc.Usually a "Homa kund"or sacrificial ...