Trayodashi Shradh || त्रयोदशी श्राद्ध ||

Trayodashi Shradh

Trayodashi Tithi will start from 5:37 pm on October 11, 2023 to 7:53 pm on October 12 .

Trayodashi Tithi is considered auspicious for performing the shraddha of dead children. In Pitru Paksha, shraddha is performed only on the death anniversary of the child, but if the date is not known, then the shraddha performed on Trayodashi with full rituals is received by the dead soul of the child. This year this date is falling on 12 October, Thursday. When it comes to the shraddha of children, many people are confused about at what age the shraddha of the child should be performed. In this context, different terms and rules have been mentioned in the scriptures for boys and girls.

Important things related to the Shradh of children:

• Shraddha is not performed for children below two years of age. The same rule applies to girls as well. Shraddha is also prohibited. If the age of the boy or girl is between 2 to 6 years, then Shraddha is not performed, but Malin Shodashi Sanskar is performed. Malin Shodashi Kriya is performed from death till the last rites.
• After this, Shraddha is performed with all the post-death rituals for boys and girls above the age of 6 years. Shraddha should be performed with full rituals for girls above the age of 10 years.
• For married girls, the husband has the right to perform the shraddha, not the parents in the maternal house. However, the shraddha of unmarried youth can be performed on Panchami day as well. Hence, it is also called Kunwara Panchami .

Method of worship of Trayodashi Shradh:

• The person performing the Shraddha takes a clean bath and wears clean clothes which mainly consist of dhoti and sacred thread.
• He wears a ring made of darba grass and a sacred thread.
• In the puja system, the sacred thread is changed several times during the ceremony.
• Pinddaan is performed and rice, milk, ghee, sugar and honey are placed in a round pile. This is called pinda. Pinddaan is performed with reverence and respect towards the ancestors.
• In the Tarpan ceremony, water is slowly poured from a pot along with black sesame seeds and barley.
• Lord Vishnu and Yama are worshipped.
• First the food is fed to the cow, then to the crow, dog and ants.
• Then food and Dakshina is given to the Brahmins.
• These days, acts of charity are considered very useful.
•  On this day, family can also organize ritual readings of Bhagavad Purana and Bhagavad Gita.

What to do:

Shraddha Karma should be performed with complete rituals so that its fruits can be achieved. During Shraddha, one should remember his ancestors and also have a feeling of reverence towards them. So that their souls are happy to see this and they get peace. If possible, Shraddha should be performed near a river. Performing Shraddha on the river bank is considered holy.

what not to do:

• The person performing the Shraddha should not cut his hair, beard or nails. This will cause you financial loss.
• Shraddha rituals should not be performed in the evening or at night.
• Such works are prohibited in religious texts. No auspicious works like marriage, sacred thread ceremony, housekeeping etc. should be done during Shraadh Paksha.
• One should neither buy new clothes nor wear new clothes.
• During Shraddha, no food should be consumed before the Brahmin accepts it.
• If a crow comes to your house during Shraadh, instead of running away from it, you should feed it. It is believed that ancestors come in the form of crows to get food.