Explanation and importance of doing Tarpanam on each of the Tithi
Mahalaya refers to come in large groups. This denotes the period when our ancestors come together. Paksham means 15 days. Mahalaya Paksham is when our ancestors come together for a period of 15 days.
This period begins on the Tamil Month Purattasi on the first day after Purnima (Full moon) and extends till the successive Amavasya (New moon). The Amavasya of the Purattasi month is known as Mahalaya Paksham. This is considered more auspicious than Thai Amavasya or Aadi Amavasya.
Generally Tarpanam is done on the occasion of Amavasya on each month. But during Mahalaya Paksham, tarpanam is done from the first day (Prathama tithi) till Amavasya (Last day of the paksham)
On this auspicious day, we remember all our ancestors. We do Snana and pray for their peace of their soul(Aatma). And One must donate clothes to Brahmins, food to the poor and aid the unprivileged who are deprived of education.
It is important to remember our Ancestors. This practice must be taught to our children. The names of the current generation must be written or preserved in a Diary so that religious practices such as Shraddha, Tarpanam continue in the future. The following benefits of Doing Tarpanam are given below:
| Day | Sanskrit name | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prathama | Wealth generation |
| 2 | Dwithiya | Children with Noble qualities are born |
| 3 | Trithiya | Fulfillment of wishes |
| 4 | Chaturthi | Escape from enemies |
| 5 | Panchami | Accumulation of Land, property etc. |
| 6 | Shasti | Attaining Fame |
| 7 | Saptami | Attaining good status in the society |
| 8 | Asthami | Intellectual capacity, Wisdom |
| 9 | Navami | Blessed with a good spouse, Children, Daughter in-law Imtelligent daughters, Grandchildren etc. |
| 10 | Dashami | Fulfillment of lifetime desires. |
| 11 | Ekadashi | Enrichment in the field of Education, Sports and other Arts. |
| 12 | Dwadashi | Accumulation of Gold/Jewellery |
| 13 | Theryodashi | Receiving cows, good crop harvest, Longevity, Better health, Freedom in Workplace or Business. |
| 14 | Chaturdashi | Eradiction of sins, Welfare of the future generations. |
| 15 | Amavasya | You are blessed by your Ancestors through above mentioned benefits. |