Sage of Kanchi –

Pranams at the lotus feet of Sri Paramacharya !

Paramacharya describes the significance of homage to ancestors, it is more important than the worship of deities, sacred scriptures affirms that people who do not follow the  homage  to ancestors  would take birth in low class, we need perpetual blessings of our ancestors to have a peaceful, healthy, wealthy and happy life.  It is believed that during the fifteen days of Mahalayapaksha our ancestors hunger and thirst would increase considerably, therefore offering oblations to ancestors during these days are treated as highly propitious. Garuda Puranam describes Pithrus/ancestors are people who lived a self-less life, performed abundance of charities, service to humanity and sincerely performed daily rites to deities during their life on Earth, after the death they ascend to the abode of Pithruloka.  They have made lot of sacrifices during their life time on Earth; therefore it is our responsibility to show gratitude by performing homage during the days Mahalayapaksham and Amavasya after following strict austerities.  Offering charities of sesame seeds, salt, gold, cotton clothes, iron metal on Uththarayanapunyakalam, Shuklapaksha Pournami, Krishnapaksha Dwadhashi day during the month of Karthik is considered as highly auspicious.  Charities should be performed with utmost humbleness, any contributions made with pride or to attain fame or publicize the same will take away all the merits.  It is compulsory to worship ancestors before conducting any auspicious events like marriage and Bhramopadhesham in the family, in order to attain their perpetual blessings.  Person who performs homage to ancestors on Dwadhashi would attain gold as wealth, person who performs homage to ancestors on Thrayodhashi would attain supreme intellect, wisdom, cattle as wealth, good health, freedom of living, long life, prosperity, wealth and all kinds of auspiciousness, person who performs homage to ancestors on Chathurdhashi would please his ancestors died of accidents.   Mahalaya Amavasya is the most propitious day to worship ancestors, worshiper would be blessed with all kinds of auspiciousness, and person who performs homage on all these sixteen days of Mahalayapunyakalam would attain higher status in life, recitation of sacred chants while the performance of homage to ancestors are highly significant, performer should be aware of the meaning of these chants and pronounce it with good clarity and intense faith.  Performance of homage to ancestors on the sea shore, near the ponds or shrines would be treated as highly auspicious.