Learn the divine story of the Third Shraddha, a holy tradition that reinforces the value of honoring ancestors through devotion, rituals, and heartfelt remembrance.
There is a famous mythological story related to Shraddha. During the Mahabharata era, when Karna passed away, his soul reached heaven. There, he was given gold and jewelry, but his soul was not satisfied as it was searching for food. Karna asked Lord Indra why he was given gold instead of food. Indra explained that throughout his life, Karna had only donated gold and never offered food to his ancestors. Hence, he was provided gold as his sustenance. Upon hearing this, Karna admitted that he was unaware of who his ancestors were, and therefore, he had never offered them anything. He requested Indra to give him an opportunity to correct his mistake. Indra granted him permission to return to Earth for 16 days. During this time, Karna remembered his ancestors, offered them food, and performed rituals (Tarpan). These 16 days are now known as Pitru Paksha, a time when people honor their ancestors by performing Shraddha rituals.
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