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Pitṛsūktaṃ (िपतृस

Prologue –

The Pitṛ Sūktam is a compilation from the Ṛg Veda and is from the 10th Maṇḍalā. The Sūktam is invoked
to satiate our ancestors of many generations and lifetimes and in turn, invoke their blessings for our
well-being. The Sūktam is also a praise of Lord Yama, the Lord of Righteousness and Death as well as
Lord Agni, the Lord of Fire and the conveyor of all oblations to the divinities and celestials, as well as all
our departed ancestors. This Sūktam is most effective when invoked during the Mahālaya Pitṛ Pakṣa, but
can also be invoked in the memory of our ancestors on any other occasions. This Sūktam refers to the
Homa (yajña) and food offerings that we offer to our ancestors. A homa ritual accompanied by the
invocation of this Sūktam is highly recommended.

Pitṛs can also be our descendants in our current or previous lifetimes and the same is acknowledged in
this Sūktam as well as in the Pitṛ tarpaṇa rituals.

ू ं) -
Pitṛsūktaṃ (िपतृस

udīratāmavara utparāsa unmadhyamāḥ pitaraḥ somyāsaḥ ।

asuṃ ya īyuravṛkā ṛtajñāste no'vantu pitaro haveṣu ॥ 1 ॥
उदीरतामवर उरास उमाः िपतरः सोासः ।
अस ं ु य ईयरु वृका ऋताे नोऽव ु िपतरो हवेष ु ॥ १ ॥

May our Pitṛs (ancestors) of the lower, intermediate and higher generations rise up to partake the Divine
Soma offering, the nectar of immortality of the gods. May they become enlivened and remain in the
highest order, by means of our sincere prayers and offerings. May they gain the eligibility to accept the
sacrificial yajña offerings made to the celestial gods and goddesses. May they be pleased to offer their
choicest blessings and immense protection to us at all times!

idaṃ pitṛbhyo namo astvadya ye pūrvāso ya uparāsa īyuḥ ।

ye pārthive rajasyā niṣattā ye vā nūnaṃ suvṛjanāsu vikṣu ॥ 2 ॥
इदं िपतृो नमो अ ये पूवासो य उपरास ईयःु ।
ये पाथवे रजा िनषा ये वा नून ं सवृु जनास ु िव ु ॥ २ ॥

May our sincere prayers be addressed to the newly departed as well as the previously departed
ancestors, as well as all their descendants living or departed, residing in all realms such as the hellish
Yamaloka, the mortal Martya loka (all material worlds like Earth etc.) or the Divine Viṣṇuloka etc. May
our prayers bring good companionship to these souls and may they relish the after lives in joy and
contentment.

āhaṃ pitṝnsuvidatrām̐ avitsi napātaṃ ca vikramaṇaṃ ca viṣṇoḥ ।

barhiṣado ye svadhayā sutasya bhajanta pitvasta ihāgamiṣṭhāḥ ॥ 3 ॥
आहं िपतॄिु वदाँ अिवि नपातं च िवमणं च िवोः ।
ु
बहषदो ये धया सत भज िप इहागिमाः ॥ ३ ॥

May our prayers help bestow and sustain immense knowledge, wisdom and greatness to our ancestors
and their descendants by the grace of Lord Viṣṇu. May the ancestors be pleased to take a seat on the
sacred Kuśa āsana (Big cordgrass mat) spread out for them in front of us and accept the fire and soma
juice offerings prepared in their honor.

barhiṣadaḥ pitara ūtya(1)rvāgimā vo havyā cakṛmā juṣadhvam ।

ta ā gatāvasā śaṃtamenāthā naḥ śaṃ yorarapo dadhāta ॥ 4 ॥
ु
बहषदः िपतर ऊ(१)वािगमा वो हा चकृ मा जषम ।्
त आ गतावसा शंतमेनाथा नः शं योररपो दधात ॥ ४ ॥

O Dear Pitṛ ancestors who have graced us with your esteemed presence, please accept the homa fire
offerings, as well as the food preparations that have been made for your consumption. Be pleased with
the offerings and bestow your choicest blessings upon us all and all your descendants! May we be free of
all sufferings and hardship caused by loss of wealth, health, peace etc. May all of these sufferings end
immediately with your benevolence!

upahūtāḥ pitaraḥ somyāso barhiṣyeṣu nidhiṣu priyeṣu ।

ta ā gamantu ta iha śruvantvadhi bruvantu te'vantvasmān ॥ 5 ॥
उपताः िपतरः सोासो बहेष ु िनिधष ु ियेष ु ।
् ५॥
त आ गम ु त इह वु िध वु  ु तेऽवान ॥

May our Dear Pitṛ ancestors who have partaken the treasured soma juices offered to them and seated
upon the sacred kuśa grass, listen to all our prayers and intercede on our behalf with the gods and
goddesses. May your efforts and benevolence relieve us from all worries and grant us sufficient wealth
and adequate protection from all harm.

ācyā jānu dakṣiṇato niṣadyemaṃ yajñamabhi gṛṇīta viśve ।

mā hiṃsiṣṭa pitaraḥ kena cinno yadva āgaḥ puruṣatā karāma ॥ 6 ॥
आा जान ु दिणतो िनषेम ं यमिभ गृणीत िवे ।
ु
मा हिस िपतरः के न िचो य आगः पषता कराम ॥ ६ ॥

O Dear Pitṛ ancestors, please bend your left knee and sit on the right side of the yajña fire altar. Please
bless the fire rituals and sacrificial offerings made in your honor. We sincerely request you to please
forgive our sins and faults made in the past and deficiencies in our efforts to serve you. Please be
magnanimous and bless us to rise and shine in our mundane tasks and help us achieve the pinnacles of
success and fruition of all our cherished desires.

āsīnāso aruṇīnāmupasthe rayiṃ dhatta dāśuṣe martyāya ।

putrebhyaḥ pitarastasya vasvaḥ pra yacchata ta ihorjaṃ dadhāta ॥ 7 ॥
आसीनासो अणीनामपु े रय ध दाशषु े माय ।
पेु ः िपतर वः  यत त इहोज दधात ॥ ७ ॥

Seated on the lap of the Divine Mother Uṣā, the goddess of dawn, O Dear Pitṛ ancestors, please shower
your benevolence upon your descendants and make us wealthy in all aspects of life.

ye naḥ pūrve pitaraḥ somyāso'nūhire somapīthaṃ vasiṣṭhāḥ ।

tebhiryamaḥ saṃrarāṇo havīṃṣyuśannuśadbhiḥ pratikāmamattu ॥ 8 ॥
ये नः पूव िपतरः सोासोऽनूिहरे सोमपीथं विसाः ।
ु शिः
तेिभयमः संरराणो हवश ु ितकामम ु ॥ ८ ॥

May Lord Yama, the god of righteousness and death, be pleased with our homa fire offerings and may
He grant the privilege of partaking the celestial nectar soma with our departed ancestors, in the
presence of the honorable sage Vasiṣṭhā and his lineage.

ye tātṛṣurdevatrā jehamānā hotrāvidaḥ stomataṣṭāso arkaiḥ ।

āgne yāhi suvidatrebhirarvāṅsatyaiḥ kavyaiḥ pitṛbhirgharmasadbhiḥ ॥ 9 ॥
ये तातृषदु वा जेहमाना होािवदः ोमतासो अक ः ।
ु
आे यािह सिवदे  िः ॥ ९ ॥
िभरवा ैः कःै िपतृिभघमस

Salutations to you O Lord Agni, the god of fire, conveyor of all offerings to the gods and goddesses! May
you be pleased with the sacrificial offerings made by us in the presence of our departed ancestors seated
on the kuśa mats, to appease you and all celestial sages, gods and all divinities. May you please bring
along with you, the great homa specialist Kavya and other skilled sages, to enhance this ritual with the
appropriate devotional practices and help gain immense fame and reputation to our ancestors, who
thirst for drinking soma with the Divine celestials such as yourself!

ye satyāso havirado haviṣpā indreṇa devaiḥ sarathaṃ dadhānāḥ ।

āgne yāhi sahasraṃ devavandaiḥ paraiḥ pūrvaiḥ pitṛbhirgharmasadbhiḥ ॥ 10 ॥
ये सासो हिवरदो हिवा इेण देवःै सरथं दधानाः ।
 िः ॥ १० ॥
आे यािह सहं देववैः परैः पूवः िपतृिभघमस

O Lord Agni, please be pleased with our offerings and bring along with you, thousands of our forefathers
who have gained the honor to ride with you and other celestial gods like Lord Indra, Sūrya etc. to partake
the yajña offerings and bless us all.

agniṣvāttāḥ pitara eha gacchata sadaḥsadaḥ sadata supraṇītayaḥ ।

attā havīṃṣi prayatāni barhiṣyathā rayiṃ sarvavīraṃ dadhātana ॥ 11 ॥
ु
अिााः िपतर एह गत सदःसदः सदत सणीतयः ।
अा हविष यतािन बहथा रय सववीरं दधातन ॥ ११ ॥
O Dear glorious Pitṛ ancestors, blessed and purified by the grace of Lord Agni, please take your seats on
the Kuśa āsanas spread out here and partake all the food offerings prepared in your honor. Having
satisfied yourselves with the food and yajña offerings, kindly shower your immense grace upon your
descendants, who care and hold you in great honor at all times! May your blessings fruition and help us
gain wealth, health, children, education, status and all types of prosperity!

tvamagna īḻito jātavedo'vāḍḍhavyāni surabhīṇi kṛtvī ।

prādāḥ pitṛbhyaḥ svadhayā te akṣannaddhi tvaṃ deva prayatā havīṃṣi ॥ 12 ॥
ु
म ईिळतो जातवेदोऽवाािन सरभीिण कृ ी ।
ादाः िपतृः धया ते अि ं देव यता हविष ॥ १२ ॥

O Lord Agni jātaveda, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for blessing and sanctifying these
humble yajña and food offerings and making them “svadhā” for the nourishment of our ancestors and
satisfying all their needs. We sincerely pray and plead you to join and partake these offerings and be
pleased with us. There is nothing more pleasing to us, than your acceptance of our humble offerings!

ye ceha pitaro ye ca neha yām̐ śca vidma yām̐ u ca na pravidma ।

tvaṃ vettha yati te jātavedaḥ svadhābhiryajñaṃ sukṛtaṃ juṣasva ॥ 13 ॥
ये चेह िपतरो ये च न ेह याँ िव याँ उ च न िव ।
ं वे यित ते जातवेदः धािभय ं सकृु तं जष
ु ॥ १३ ॥

O Lord Agni jātaveda, the all-knowing and most benevolent, may the yajña and food offerings be
conveyed to the ancestors who are in our presence at this time, as well as those who were unable to
make the journey to be here with us, those we are aware of and those whom we are completely
unaware of, be honored and fully satiated by the svadhā made possible by your benevolent grace.

ye agnidagdhā ye anagnidagdhā madhye divaḥ svadhayā mādayante ।

tebhiḥ svarāḻasunītimetāṃ yathāvaśaṃ tanvaṃ kalpayasva ॥ 14 ॥
ये अिदधा ये अनिदधा मे िदवः धया मादये ।
ु
तेिभः राळसनीितमे
तां यथावशं तं कय ॥ १४ ॥

O Lord Agni jātaveda, please honor all our ancestors who are in the midst of heaven sanctified by you
during the cremation rituals and those without. Please be pleased by our offerings and prayers and make
them the embodiment of your Divine grace! We bow and submit ourselves to you in deep reverence.

oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

ॐ शािः शािः शािः ॥

May there be physical, mental and spiritual peace within and beyond!