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Pind Daan – Homage to ancestors

We celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi about a week ago. Right after the great veneration all of us immerse the Ganesha idol into water symbolizing he deportation and mingling with the five elements of the nature. When devotees carry the idol to the nearest water body or the place for immersing the idol, they chant hymns to invite the lord again next year. What we often overlook is the philosophy we emphasize through this ritual –the cycle of nature.

Hinduism follows the lunar calendar – based on the cycles of the lunar phases – waxing and waning of the moon. Following the lunar phase where we bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, the phase is used for remembering our ancestors and paying them homage. Well known as Pitra Paksha, this lunar phase lasts 15-16 days.

During the Pitra Paksha, it is expected for everyone to pay homage to their ancestors in form of "Pind Daan" and pray for their wellness in the other world. The "Pind" is actually a ball made of cooked rice & barley along with Ghee and black sesame seeds. While rice and barley define the rejuvenation hinting at the cyclical nature, the ghee and the black seeds denote the "Punya" (Good Deeds) and "Paap" (Bad Deeds). The pinda daan ritual is followed by a prayer to Lord Vishnu and Yama. Yama being the god of death and the keeper of the nether world is prayed to allow our ancestors a better stay. And the prayer to Lord Vishnu is to help our ancestors attain freedom from this cycle of life and death.

The pinda daan is performed by the living for their parents or siblings who have passed away. It is said that when the newer generation moves to the nether world after death, the generation before them enters the world again through a rebirth.

An important aspect and rather an unusual one is the prayer to crow! A good part of the pinda is separately arranged as an offering to crow. A crow is never considered as a symbol of beauty or happiness. A crow is considered as a bad omen and a piece of irritation as they sound like squeeking or Caw. Hence it is never invited into a household. But, the crow is considered as a messenger of Yama. His sound is actually understood as the first letter in Hindi alphabet – ka. The sound is also the start of many questions like what, when, how, why and where. It is said that in form of a crow, Yama comes to ask these questions for us to retell the stories that we have for our ancestors. These stories shall help him in his judgement.

As a ritual, after the prayers and the pinda daan, the devotees are expected to offer their gratitude to the Brahmins acting as agents connecting them with their ancestors. Incidentally this period is considered inauspicious for carrying out new initiatives. Practically speaking, with all the learned people busy dining and connecting the living with their ancestors, there aren't many left to bless the new initiatives. Thus come the inauspiciousness. Who is to blame – the ancestors or ____?
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