Sapiṇḍikaraṇa
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Sometimes transliterated as: Sapindikarana, SapiNDikaraNa, Sapindikarana
Sapiṇḍikaraṇa literally means ‘grouping together’.
Days of Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa Ritual
Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa or sapiṇḍana is the reception of the dead person’s soul into the community of the pitṛs or forefathers. The process is actually a śrāddha or obsequial rite. It can be done on any of the following days after death:
- 12th day
- 4th month
- 6th month
- 11th month
- After a year
The first seems to be more common.
Steps Involved in Sapiṇḍīkaraṇa
The important steps are:
- Invitation to the brāhmaṇas the previous day
- Agnau-karaṇa
- Recital of Vedic texts when the brāhmaṇas are eating
- Keeping four vessels of water with kuśa grass[1]
- Mixing the water of the first with the water of the other three with appropriate mantras
This completes the process of merging the preta with the pitṛs of pitṛloka.
References
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
