What is Tarpan & The Glory of Tarpan ?

☑ Our Today's Topic: What is "Tarpan" which is done in the early morning at Mahalaya and why is "Tarpan" done or what is the significance of this? 

■ Preface: We are all familiar with the word "Tarpan".There must be said that, On the day of Mahalaya, a lot of people can be seen doing Tarpan to the Ganges ghat. Everyone believed that the spirits of the late ancestors exist very close to the earth since ancient times. So during this time if tarpan is done, then it is considered to be very successful.

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■ The Importance of "Tarpan" or The Glory of "Tarpan": It is known that the word tarpan comes from "Trope"("ত্রোপ"), which means "to satisfy".Tarpan is the great act of offering water to the souls of gods, sages, and ancestors for the purpose of satisfying them. By chanting the names of God and ancestors, happiness and peace are prayed to them. The Water, sesame, sandalwood, basil leaves, and tripatri( জল, তিল, চন্দন, তুলসী পাতা ও ত্রিপত্রী ) are used during father and mother tarpan and paddy or barley(ধান বা যব) is used instead of sesame during another tarpan. If there is no sandalwood, sesame, and barley, then the Kurukshetra mantra chanted water has to be done tarpan with basil leaves. According to the history of traditional Hindu religion, when the Sun enters Virgo, patriarchy begins. People believe that at this time the ancestors left the ancestral home and settled in the homes of their descendants, later, when the Sun enters Scorpio, they return to their ancestral home. The first part of the position of the fathers is "Tarpan" for their purpose.

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There are fifteen dates in favor of the Mahalaya. According to the traditional religion, a person who wishes to do "Tarpan", there has to be done "Tarpan" on the date of his father's death. Those who forget to do shraddha on certain days can also do shraddha on the day of the new moon. Durga Pujo begins in Bengal on the day of Mahalaya. According to belief, Goddess Durga appears on the earth on this day.

We all know that there is a custom of chanting the "Chandi Path" in the very early morning on the day of Mahalaya.On the date of Shukla Pratipada in the month of Ashwin(আশ্বিন মাসের শুক্লা প্রতিপদ তিথিতে), the grandchildren do Tarpan for the purpose of paying obeisance to the grandmother.

■ Tale from Mahabharata: - It is known from the Mahabharata that when Karna died at the hands of Arjuna, his soul ascended to heaven. There he was given gold and gems as food. When Karna asked Indra the reason for this, Indra said, "You have given gold and gems to everyone all your life. But you did not provide any food for the fathers, so you have been given the gold and gems to eat in heaven. "I didn't know much about the fathers, so I didn't give them any gold or food intentionally," Karna said. On hearing this, Devraj Indra allowed Karna to go on the earth for sixteen days to verify the truth of the matter. Then Karna went there and provided food and water for his ancestors. That is why these sixteen days are called patriarchy. 

☝ According to traditional Hinduism, the rite of passage done by the son on the father's side is a ritual. As a result of this ceremony, the dead soul gets access to heaven. If the fathers are satisfied, they give health, wealth, knowledge, and longevity, and finally heaven and salvation to the next man. The Shraddha is The main ritual of the lineage or family. Pindana (পিন্ডদান or Pinda Dan) is given to the previous three men and he is remembered by pronouncing his name. For this reason, it is possible for a person to remember the name of the lineage. This enhances the bond of lineage. The debt of ancestors and father debt and mother or guru debt is equally important in Hinduism.

■ According to Hindu scriptures, can girls do Tarpan?

According to Garuda Purana, the girls can do tarpan. According to a conversation between the Garurh Bird and Lord Krishna from the Prete Kalpa, the Garurh asked a question to the lord.

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☐ According to the scriptures, Who can pay homage? In that reply, Lord Krishna said, "Anyone who has blood relations with a son, grandson or grandson, brother, nephew's son, or seven men, will be able to do sapinda water "Tarpan"(সপিণ্ড জল) and give pind(পিন্ডদান)."In their absence, someone far away, up to eleven men called Samanodak(সামানোডাক), can also do water Tarpan. If the lineage is inferior to the male, then the female can go for Tarpan. "From here we can say that girls have the right to do "Tarpan". However, according to some classical scholars, women can do "Tarpan" only in "Matrigaya".If we come out of the scriptures and think if a person has only a daughter, can she not be able to do "Tarpan" peacefully? It is not thinkable to stand like that today.

If anyone offers "Tarpan" with a pure-minded for an ancestor, it will be accepted. Without further drama anymore, this is the last statement that the social system was different when establishing Hindu customs. At that time, relatives of seven men could easily stay by their side, So they could be called descendants. But nowadays sons and daughters are the closest people and true descendants. Since it is a homage paying to the descendants of their fathers, so this is most meaningful for them to do.