CWTVKS Volume 2

Sraddha

The Sraddha ceremony has been performed since the Vedic times, but we do not know how exactly it was performed in the beginning. The Smritis (Dharma Sastras) alone are the authority in vogue. The Vedic Mantras used for the purpose vary according to the various Shakhas and Sutras. But they can be recognised amidst the crowding of the Puranic passages (Gods also) that one finds commonly used by the Purohits. But some Puranas (notably Garuda Purana) speak of the departed souls, and sraddhas. Here one finds method in madness. There are some sound principles underlying these ceremonies.

6 January 1951

You wish to know how long the vital part of a being (after death) may be considered to be bound to the vital world. This depends upon the development of the being while on earth. In some cases without lingering in the vital world, it may reach its destination without caring for any help from any human being on earth. That is why in the case of real Sannyasins the sraddha is not allowed to be performed; instead aradhana is done.

In some cases the soul can easily be in the vital world for some years but not indefinitely. Here again the period varies. Since we cannot be sure of the condition of those departed, the ancients, in order to be on the safe side, prescribed a rule according to which the sraddhas are performed annually. Nov it is almost a sentimental affair and a social convention.

No sraddha can be effective if the performer has no faith in it, even in the early years when the departed may be nearer the earth plane and could be in a position to receive the help through genuine sraddha.

The idea of putting an end to this sraddha business was a brilliant one and the ancients chose a holy centre like Prayag or Gaya where once for all the final sraddha could be performed. The idea seems to be such a place is a recognised centre of spiritual force where the performer could effectively perform the ceremony which is an outer form for conveying the final help to the departed and thus absolve himself from the obligations believed to be expected of him by the latter.