MAHALAYA PAKSHA
Alayam means Ah samantath layam i.e. various people to assemble in one place. Mahat+alayam means peoples from various places including other worlds specifically the deceased people of this world are assembling in this world.
Why this mahalaya paksha was arranged? If we want to clean our house we are asking our inmates to go out of the house and then clean thoroughly. Likewise, the head of the pitru loka i.e. yama dharama want to clean the pitru loka and thereby instruts all the pitaras to out of the pitru loka and come after 15days. Hence all the deceased pitaras of our families are coming to this bhuloka to bless those who are sincerely doing tarpana and pinda pradana. That is why this period of 15 days is called the mahalaya paksha.
How to ascertain the mahalaya paksha? Our time is based on the movements of planets in the sky. Accordingly the transit of sun in each house starting from April 14 for a period of 30 days is termed as one month like chaitra vaisaka etc. When sun starts transitting in karkata rasi i.e. ashada masa, the fifth fortnight i.e. paksha is called the mahalaya paksha. That is why in our sankalpam for tarpana and sradha during this peiod we will say as ASHADYAAHA PACHAME PAKSHE ... KANYAASTHAA ARKANIVTAHA SO API SO ATYANTA PHALA MASNUTE. This time we have mahalaya paksha is for 16 days instead of 15 days normally.
Mahalaya paksha is usually starts from Prathama/paadyami to Amavasya but due to thithi vrudhi the mahalaya paksha is for 16 days. The next day to amavasya is also includes in this paksha due to increase of thithi vruddhi, those who are performing the tarpana for all the days has to extend to one more day i.e. next to amavasya also i.e. it becomes 17 days this year. For all those who are not performing paksha tarpana the paksha ends with amavasya only.
According to nirnaya sindhu KANYAGATE SAVITARI YAANYAHAANI THU SHODASA, KRATUBHISTAANI TULYAANI DEVO NARAYANO ABRAVEET. i.e. the snanam performed in holy rivers, performance of pitru tarpana, mantra japa, danams in favour of pitaras will fetch enormous results like performing the somayaga in one’s life. Hence wise people do not skip even single day to perform the pitru tarpana, panda pradana and danams in favour of their ancestors during this peiod.
Performing the mahalayam is of two types i.e. doing tarpana for all the paksha days is termed as paksha mahalayam. 2)performing tarpana or sradha on any one day is called as sakrunmahalayam. Those who perform all the 16 days pitru tarpana/hirnya sradha need not see the thithi vaara nakshatra during this 16 days but those who want to perform on any single day has to see the thithi vara nakshata and perform. According to saastra, those who want to perform on a single day has to avoid nanda thithies like prathama/paadyami, shashti, yekadasi, chaturdasi or amavasya thithi or on Friday, or on the birth starday of the performer or anujanma trijanma nakshatra days. It is very difficult to find out the proper days by substituting all the ill days hence the sastra has specifically given certain days for them on maha vyatipaata day (05.10.12), mahabharani (03.10.12) gajachhaya (13.10.12) to perform the mahalaya paksha tarpana and panda pradanam.
Certain people are very much eager to perform to paksha tarpana (all 16 days) but due to unforeseen circumstances could not do so and for those people the sastra has given some options like to start from panchami (05.10.12) or ashtami (08.10.12) or dasami (10.10.12) to perform continuously till amavasya.
For certain people, their ancestors particularly father or mother might have deceased on bhadrapada masa so that the annual ceremony for them will come on this paksha on any one day. For all those who has to pratyabika sradha to parents i.e. only for father or mother has to perform the sradha first on the thithi day and only then do the mahalaya tarpana after performing the sradha but not to skip on that day. But for those who are doing karunya sradha i.e to wife, aunts, father in law/mother in low or to metarnal side has to perform the the mahalaya paksha tarpana/sradha first and then only has to do the kaarunya sradha next.
The Bharani star day is more auspicious and important during this paksha and it is specifically termed as maha bharani because the adhi devata for bharani is yama and this paksha is of pitaras. Hence, those performing on this day to their elders will give satisfaction like performing in gaya kshetra itself. So people should not miss this maha bharani.
In our ancestors some people might have taken sanyasa before their death and for those during this paksha mahalaya paksha tarpana or sraadha to be performed on dwaadasi day.
People who died unnaturally, i.e. by accident/fire/water/murder/hanging etc. For those the tarpana/sradha is to be done on chaturdasi day only. But we should not perform tarpana or sraadha for those who died naturally on this day.
Suppose if no one is there i.e. for a widow without any children she has to perform the mahalaya tarpana/sradha on amavasya day by sankalpa sradha vidhana. This is called vidhavha mahalaya.
On mahalaya amavasya day all have to do tarpana irrespective of doing sakruth mahalaya or paksha mahalaya. But those who are performing the paksha mahalaya i.e. doing for all 16 days first they have to amavasya tarpana and then themahalaya amavasya taarpana i.e. twice. For those doing sakruth mahalaya i.e. for any one day they should perform only amavasya tarpana.
Certain people doing shannavati tarpana i.e. on 96 days in a year, they have to perform the tarpana have to perform shannavati tarpana on vyatipata 5.10.12, yugadi 13.10.12 and vaidhruti 15.10.12 first and then perform the mahalaya paksha tarpana i.e. on these three days they have to do tarpana twice.
This mahalaya tarpana should not be performed by those who are having living father but without mother. But if mother is alive and father is no more they have to perform the mahalaya tarpana. That too they should not perform on the first year i.e. before completion of abdika sradha.
But care should be taken that we should not perform any homa, special puja during these 15 days.
Without performing the pratas and madhyanhika sandhya vandana the mahalaya tarpana should not be performed.
If brother living separately, those performing the sakruth mahalaya i.e. doing on any one day, elder brothers should not do without performing the tarpana by younger brother. It is also important that if any one has performed the tarpana other brother should not skip in performing the tarpana every one in the family i.e. all the brothers has to perform individually.
While giving panda pradana if the same is sumangali, placing manjal/pasupu, kumkum or pushpam on the pindams are forbidden. Except the til and dharba trunams nothing should be placed on the pindas.
On any occasion even in utmost emergencies the mahalaya paksha tarpana or sradha or regular tarpana /sraddha to be performed before the sun sets. If it is performed then you will incurs the pitru saapa and anger from the pitaras.
Hope this will give you an idea about the mahalaya paksha tarpana and the do’s and dont’s.
