Vedic remedies and rituals
hanyate durbalaṃ daivaṃ pauruṣeṇa vipaścitā
“Ill fate is struck down by intelligent human effort.”
Tarpana - how to perform Vedic ancestor worship
Why honor our ancestors?
According to the Vedas humanity should adopt an outlook on life that allows them to recognize and honor the divinity in their mother and father and all their forebears. This concept is expressed in the Taittariya Upanishat as “Pitṛdevo bhava” in Sanskrit.
When do we honor the ancestors?
Sarva Pitṛ Amāvāsyā, the New Moon of the ancestors, is the annual Vedic holiday for honoring and remembering our ancestors and those who have passed before us. Tarpana is traditionally performed during the New Moon each month. Tradition holds that the veil between Earth and the ancestral realm is temporarily lifted each year during the waning fortnight leading up to the new moon after the fall equinox. This usually occurs near the end of September or beginning of October in the Gregorian calendar and is congruent with other ancestor rituals found around the world such as the Celtic holiday Samhain that some believe evolved into the modern day Halloween.
Find New Moon dates for your location here
How do we honor the ancestors?
Tarpana is the ritual act of intentionally offering water to our ancestors using rice, barley, and black sesame seeds while chanting Sanskrit mantras found in the Vedas. The word tarpana comes from the Sanskrit verb root "tṛp" meaning to satiate or satisfy, usually with water. In the videos below I teach and explain three skill levels of Tarpana practices adapted for the modern world - easy, medium, and advanced - all in both English and Sanskrit, and all incredibly powerful!
What do I need to perform the ritual?
Gather a few spoonfuls of raw white basmati rice, a pinch of turmeric, a drop of ghee, un-hulled barley, and black sesame seeds. Have a medium-sized metal or plastic bowl handy along with a spoon, a jug of fresh water, and something comfortable to sit on.
Tarpana: Ancestor worship explained
Watch my 2023 Tarpana demonstration and learn three different levels of traditional Vedic ancestor rituals that you can easily do at home.
How to utilize the three times of day in a mantra practice
The three transition periods of time are known as tri-sandhyā. These three time periods are the most powerful times of day for any sādhana and are referenced throughout the entirety of Vedic and Tantric literature. Traditionally, prāṇāyāma, Gāyatrī mantra, and Sun worship is performed everyday at these three times by priests, yogis, and Vedic astrologers alike. Any mantra or meditation practice attains perfection quickly when performed during these three times. You can find the exact times everyday for your location on Drik Panchang:
Morning - Prātaḥ Sandhyā
The morning transition time is known as “Prātaḥ Sandhyā” and begins about three ghaṭikās (72 minutes) before sunrise, but will vary throughout the year according to the length of daytime and nighttime and the distance from the equator. This is the time when the Divine Mother takes the form of Sarasvatī, connected to Bhū Śakti and the creative energy of Brahmā.
Midday - Madhyāhna Sandhyā
The midday transition time is known as “Madhyāhna Sandhyā” and begins about 24 minutes before local apparent noon i.e., the midday transit of the sun through your local meridian (yāmyottara vṛtta), and finishes about 24 minutes after. This time period is also known as Abhijit Muhūrta and is a 1/15th portion of the actual day length so it will also change in duration through the year as the day grows longer or shorter according to the seasons. This time is praised in the scriptures as one of the most auspicious times of the day for conquer and conquest. The Divine Mother takes the form of Mahālakṣmī, connected to Śrī Śakti, the preserving and maintaining force of Viṣṇu.
Evening - Sāyam Sandhyā
The evening transition time is known as “Sāyam Sandhyā” and begins at sunset and lasts for about three ghaṭikās (72 minutes), but will vary throughout the year according to the length of daytime and nighttime and the distance from the equator. The Divine Mother takes the form of Mahākālī and the destructive energy of Śiva. It is the ability of a fruit to naturally ripen and detach itself from the vine.
In this way a mantra practice performed during these three times attunes the practitioner to the three archetypal energies of manifest existence, just as the earth's rotation on its axis causes the sun to rise and set, quickly ripening the fruit of all past karmas.