Regarding "Theetu" for one year after the death of a close relative.

[P.J.]

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Kindly let me know the reason why we are not supposed to visit any HILL TEMPLE/Touch any sacred River/Touch Sea Water/ for one year till Varushabdeegam if a close relative like brother, cousin brother died?

Thanks
Padmanabhan.J

 

[P.J.]

[h=2]Regarding "Theetu" for one year after the death of a close relative.[/h]

Kindly let me know the reason why we are not supposed to visit any HILL TEMPLE/Touch any sacred River/Touch Sea Water/ for one year till Varushabdeegam if a close relative like brother, cousin brother died?

Thanks
Padmanabhan.J​

 

[kgopalan]

Only after varushapteekam the close relative is joining as a pithru. Till one year he is not a pithru and he is travelling in the pretha sareeram which will have the feeling of this birth and relatives, heat of agni, feeling of hungry, thirst etc.

 

[P.J.]

Sir, In what way heat of Agni, Hunger affect the relatives who go to Hill Temples/ Sacred Rivers/Sea etc?
Why only Hill Temples are prohibited ? After Varsshabteekam, we visit temple , in that case how visiting a Hill Temple is not allowed?
Kindly pardon my ignorance

Regards

Padmanabhan.J

 

[P.J.]

Sir
After 13 th day ceremony, we are supposed to visit Temples, In that case why visiting Hill Temples prohibited for one year till Varushabteekam?

Thanks for your answer

 

[P.J.]

I got a reply to my question regarding why one should not visit a a Hill Temple or bath in sacred Rivers/Sea' but that was not clear. All are not born in Vaithega Kudumbam, and an answer must be elaborate so that even a comon man can understand the reason.

Will someone clearly give reasons /explain and clear my doubts please?

 

[P.J.]

Sri.kgopalan sir says that one should not visit any Hill Temple,touch sacred rivers,SEA, etc giving this reason
" Till one year he is not a pithru and he is travelling in the pretha sareeram which will have the feeling of this birth and relatives, heat of agni, feeling of hungry, thirst etc'

I am not able to understand the logic behind this explanation. Will some one explain in detail Please
Thanks
Padmanabhan.J

 

[sangom]

Sri.kgopalan sir says that one should not visit any Hill Temple,touch sacred rivers,SEA, etc giving this reason
" Till one year he is not a pithru and he is travelling in the pretha sareeram which will have the feeling of this birth and relatives, heat of agni, feeling of hungry, thirst etc'

I am not able to understand the logic behind this explanation. Will some one explain in detail Please
Thanks
Padmanabhan.J

Shri PJ,

Ignorance (of the truth) is sometimes, bliss, as the saying goes!!

As I mentioned in another post, you seem to be starting a number of threads and this raises a genuine doubt about the intentions behind this great effort. I don't know if you genuinely want your points to be discussed or whether you are just throwing random items which you get from various sources, as so many threads and watching the fun, merely!

Anyway, here goes what I know about this one-year ban.

According to the Rigveda, when humans die, they (their souls?) go straight to the pitṛ loka. Their status or inter se position among the dwellers there will depend upon the merits which they had acquired while alive here, by performing the yajnas prescribed by the vedas. The Rigveda contains verses about the cremation of the dead body but it is silent about any right thereafter. So, it may be right to conclude that during the Rigvedic days there was nothing beyond the cremation.

But the Dharmasastras lay down the rules about śrāddha. So, we cannot rule out completely the after-cremation rites.
The core belief in the Dharmasastras is that the soul or the dead persons will be capable of becoming pitṛs

Sri.kgopalan sir says that one should not visit any Hill Temple,touch sacred rivers,SEA, etc giving this reason
" Till one year he is not a pithru and he is travelling in the pretha sareeram which will have the feeling of this birth and relatives, heat of agni, feeling of hungry, thirst etc'

I am not able to understand the logic behind this explanation. Will some one explain in detail Please
Thanks
Padmanabhan.J

Shri PJ,

Ignorance (of the truth) is sometimes, bliss, as the saying goes!!

As I mentioned in another post, you seem to be starting a number of threads and this raises a genuine doubt about the intentions behind this great effort. I don't know if you genuinely want your points to be discussed or whether you are just throwing random items which you get from various sources, as so many threads and watching the fun, merely!

Anyway, here goes what I know about this one-year ban.

According to the Rigveda, when humans die, they (their souls?) go straight to the pitṛ loka. Their status or inter se position among the dwellers there will depend upon the merits which they had acquired while alive here, by performing the yajnas prescribed by the vedas. The Rigveda contains verses about the cremation of the dead body but it is silent about any right thereafter. So, it may be right to conclude that during the Rigvedic days there was nothing beyond the cremation.

But the Dharmasastras lay down the rules about śrāddha. So, we cannot rule out completely the after-cremation rites.
The core belief in the Dharmasastras is that the soul or the dead persons will be capable of becoming pitṛs only on the day next; since one day in pitṛloka is equal to one earth-year, according to the Dharmasastra beliefs, our dear dead person has to roam about for one year before getting entry into the pitṛloka!

Thus comes into play the first anniversary of death or ābdīkaṃ. There is a sapiṇḍīkaraṇaṃ in the ābdīkaṃ also. sapiṇḍīkaraṇaṃ means the making of the dead soul into a ‘mass’ or piṇḍa in Sanskrit, joining this piṇḍa with those of his forefathers and thus elevating the dead person into a pitṛ proper.

The kartā (person having the dhārmic authority to perform the funeral and subsequent rites - sometimes dies before completion of the one-year period and this makes the former’s soul wander without attaining pitṛ status, for eternity, while the latter, the kartā for the former might have his sapiṇḍīkaraṇaṃ done properly and will thus get into pitṛloka without difficulty. In order to avoid such a complication, our priesthood (I believe so, but people may say, our sages) invented an advance-booking system under which we perform a (mock) sapiṇḍīkaraṇaṃ on the 11[SUP]th[/SUP] day after death and intimate to the authorities of the pitṛloka that such-and-such a śarma is to come into the pitṛ loka one year thence and that he should be admitted even if the proper sapiṇḍīkaraṇaṃ is not performed.

As an additional insurance, our priesthood, invented yet another device – the sodakakumbhaṃ a.k.a. sodambam. In this lies, imho, the congenital or even racial instinct for bribery and corruption among Hindus, and perhaps, all Indians. We feed the members of the jury (believed variously to be 12, 16, etc., in different parts of Kerala, TN and by different sub-castes/families) who will sit in judgment of the departed person’s eligibility for admission into the pitṛloka, by giving them a grand welcome, meals, a pot of water and glass, pair of brand new clothes, etc. The underlying idea is influencing the members of the jury to decide in favour of our party!

So much for now. You will now see whence this one-year period attains importance. For the kartā, according to our belief system, there is an untouchability or aśuddha called gṛhasītakaṃ for one year, which gets over on the day of the gṛhayajñaṃ or grekyaṃ after the ābdīkaṃ.The karta & his family members are prohibited from going to any temple, public pooja, etc.. during this period, eventhough they do so on the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] day after demise—the first gṛhayajñaṃ or grekyaṃ. The members of the larger family, or even the daughters of the deceased person are not included in this prohibition, the other sons used to observe this gṛhasītakaṃ in the olden days, more as a pretence to show their affection for father and also to say that “we are no less compared to our eldest brother in mourning our father’s/mother’s death.”

All such taboos have practically withered away now. Even the kartās start visiting their favourite temple after the 13[SUP]th[/SUP] day. So, imho, your question is like some Jurassic remnant (Dinosaur egg?). That is why I said in the very beginning that “ignorance is absolute bliss!!”.

 

[P.J.]

Sri sangom sir
Thanks for your elaborate reply;
"The karta & his family members are prohibited from going to any temple, public pooja, etc.. during this period,"
But in many families , they are prohibited visiting any "Hill Temples, Sacred Rivers, touching Sea water.Hence this 'thread'
Your answer makes no difference between Hill Temple and and any other Temple , makes sense.
Thanks

 

[sangom]

Sri sangom sir
Thanks for your elaborate reply;
"The karta & his family members are prohibited from going to any temple, public pooja, etc.. during this period,"
But in many families , they are prohibited visiting any "Hill Temples, Sacred Rivers, touching Sea water.Hence this 'thread'
Your answer makes no difference between Hill Temple and and any other Temple , makes sense.
Thanks

The general prohibition has been diluted by different people in different ways. The ban was only for the Karta and his family.