Shraddha ceremony takes place in Kashi.
Pitrupaksha has started for the worship of Pitrupaksha. Pitru Paksha started on 18th September on Bhadrapada Purnima day and will continue till 2nd October. Devotees from all over the country are coming for Shraddha Vidhi and Tripindi Shraddha at Pisachmochan Vimal Teertha in Kashi. Those who cannot come to Kashi or Gaya are praying to their ancestors through online medium. It includes devotees from many Asian countries besides Russia, America.
There is a question of right and wrong among devotees regarding online Pitru Shraddha. Devotees who are outside the country are contacting priests for online Shraddha for their convenience. Pilgrimage priest Bhikhu Upadhyay says that every day twelve to fifteen devotees are abroad and performing Shraddha online. Devotees from different states of the country are also joining the online Shraddha.
Online Shraddha is wrong
As for online Shraddha, many priests do not consider it suitable. He says that this is not according to the scriptures. Sri Krishna Narayana Mishra, the priest of the Tirtha, does not consider online Shraddha as scriptural. He says that only his family members have to perform the Shraddha ceremony to pay homage to the ancestors. He says that online Shraddha will not be fruitful. He said that Shraddha vidhi can be performed only physically. The scriptures also have provisions for women to perform Shraddha, Tarpan and Pinddan. Now people perform Shraddha for soul purification and salvation of pets and birds and this is also according to the scriptures.
Remedies to Avoid Online Shraddha
Along with avoiding online Shraddha, Tirtha priest Shri Krishna Narayan also explained the remedy. He says that if for some reason a devotee cannot come for the Shraddha, he can send someone as a representative to perform the Shraddha. He said that it is better to perform Shraddha ritual to worship ancestors online and this is also according to Shastras.
