Pitar Chalisa

Bowing to the Pitars Dev, I ask their blessing; be gracious, O ancestors, and O Lord of the world, fulfil my prayer.

Through shraddha, tarpana and pind-dan may the Pitars be pleased; may the lineage grow in joy and wealth, and every distinct sorrow be erased.

Hail, hail, Pitar Dev, treasure of virtues; proclaiming the great glory of the ancestors.

Of seven generations are our Pitars; by their blessing life is made bright.

Father, grandfather and great-grandfather — and the aged great-great-grandfather, ever to be revered.

Grandmother, great-grandmother, and the aged great-great-grandmother — givers of joy.

The dear Pitars of the maternal grandfather and grandmother; all the forebears of the maternal line.

Your abode is in Pitriloka; your dwelling stands at the gate of Yama.

The new moon of the dark fortnight — the greatly honoured festival of Pitru Paksha.

Pitru Paksha comes in the month of Bhadrapada; performing shraddha, the Pitars are satisfied.

Pitru Paksha lasts sixteen days, from the full moon to the new moon.

Perform the shraddha rite according to the tithi; offer tarpana on the proper ancestral day.

Pind-dan is done at Gaya; on the bank of the Falgu river one attains release.

Worship at the Vishnupada temple; offer the pinda at the Akshayavat.

Tarpana is made with sesame and barley; with black sesame the Pitars are pleased.

Offer tarpana with kusha grass, keeping the face turned toward the south.

Feeding the Brahmins is highly meritorious; a great means of satisfying the Pitars.

Give a cow's morsel to the crow; give a roti to the dog as well.

The crow is called the messenger of the Pitars; it accepts the food and finds peace.

If a Pitra-dosha lies in the chart, shraddha brings peace to it.

Childlessness has its cause in Pitra-dosha, which brings affliction.

By the grace of the Pitars comes offspring; obstacles to the growth of the lineage are lost.

Financial hardship that enters the house departs through tarpana for the Pitars.

The fear of untimely death torments; worship of the Pitars brings protection.

If there is quarrel in the family, Pitar-shanti brings joy to all.

Loss that comes in trade turns to gain by the grace of the Pitars.

If illness pursues, health fills the body by the ancestors' blessing.

Mental stress and fear torment; remembering the Pitars brings peace.

In sleep the Pitars give darshan, and give us their blessing and message.

When the Pitars are satisfied the gods are pleased, and every wish and longing is fulfilled.

Narayana-bali is performed at Gaya; through Tripindi shraddha one is released.

Shraddha at Prayag too is excellent; the rite at the Triveni confluence is supreme.

Haridwar and Badrinath dham; at Kedarnath the tarpana for ancestors is fruitful.

One may go to Pushkar, Nasik or Ujjain — the ancestral shraddha is accomplished in all these places.

Pinda-dan at Rameshwaram; at Varanasi the final resting place.

Offer tarpana on the new moon; perform shraddha on the ancestral tithi.

Sarva-Pitri Amavasya is great — equal for all the ancestors.

The shraddha of the maternal grandfather falls on the ninth day; the souls of the maternal line are satisfied.

On the twelfth tithi is the shraddha for renunciants; on the fourteenth, for those who died an untimely death.

In Pitru Paksha give up meat and wine; let the mind turn to sattvic food.

Ask forgiveness of the ancestors; pardon the wrongs done unknowingly.

Whoever daily sings the Pitar Chalisa gains every happiness by the ancestors' grace.

Hail, hail, Pitar Dev, O Lord — be gracious and grant two auspicious boons.

Whoever reads the Pitar Chalisa is freed from Pitra-dosha. They gain the joy of children and the growth of the lineage; by the ancestors' grace their life is fragrant.