::ABOUT GAYA SRAADHA AND MAHALAYA PAKSHA::

Respected Sirs

I have received a number of mails and still getting mails responding to my posting about Mahalaya Paksha. Earlier too about a year back I had written about Gaya sraadha, I received many persons replying they got a relief after reading my postings and happy with their conscious for not able to perform them due to age and ailments.

I had a lot of correspondences with Mr TR Sampath iyengar who is a Purohit in Mattunga for months together before my publishing on the topic. He is by hereditary a purohit for more than 35 years. My correspondences with him are summarised as QA by me and available in the website trsiyengar.com and if possible members can refer them there or in Yahoo groups about one year back in iyer123, pattars and thatha-patti.

I am 65, not AN ATHEIST OR REVOLUTIONARY. Sraddaha is some thing done on faith. I have performed sraadha for my mother for more than 33 years and to my father more than 12 years. My only point is if you have faith in the Gayasraadha performed and all sraadha at Prayag, Kasi and Gaya and special manthras and procedures, and pindas offered at these places and faithfully believe your pithru has become God released from Pithru loka to Deva loka, then is it correct to observe and perform further sraadha to our near diseased still considering them as pithrus? Are we not believed they have become Gods?

If any Purohit can give a logical reasoning why a sraadha has to be continued for a pithru who has become Deva, and why the mantras are not changed even by a word, with some authentic quotes from any Neethisasthra or smrithies I will be happy to correct my stand and repent for my foolish thinking and take an open apology from all of you.

There have been a lot of queries and answers, but none has raised the point, whether Mahalaya Paksha is to be observed after Gaya sraadha in the potings. I thought of mentioning the same since I found an elderly woman understood it better and stopped her sons from doing it. She believed her husband is not any more in the clinches with Yama after Gaya sraadha.

Dear friends, is there any manthra change by Vadhyars, if sraadha is to be continued, after performing at Gaya sraadha? I do agree if we still perform sraadha for Jnatha Anjathra pithrus who will always be there. In that context our pithrus who have become Gods or deva pithrus should not be called for. If any member or purohit can give reasoning for continuing sraadha as usual, I will be immensely thankful to them. It is only to correct myself. I am not a learner of any Sanskrit texts in this regard. I only want enlightening if I am wrong in my conclusions.

Dear friends, performing Gaya sraadha is not possible with money and time alone. One should be blessed to perform it. It is not possible for all just because we have daily trains or flights. If we really think of the pains taken by an ordinary people like me to make about 50000-00 rupees and stay three days with all our ailments, is it done just as a special meal in a five star hotel to them as mentioned by a purohit in a book. If they continue as pithrus, what is the meaning of mantras told there? Are we not having faith in the mantras told by us there?

There is no substance in many Purohit statements that in olden days it was rare to come after visit to Kasi and Gaya.Hence told not to continue. People near by Kasi and Gaya could go with in a day on bullock cart and come!!!

Thanking you

Yours sincerely

Gopala Krishnan 7-9-09