Pitṛyāna
By Swami Harshananda
Pitṛyāna literally means ‘the path of manes’.
Inference of Pitṛyāna[edit]
Literally, the word means the path by which a pitṛ or a dead ancestor goes to the Candraloka or the world of the moon. We find from the Upaniṣads and even the Bhagavadgitā[1] that the ancient people believed in two paths by which the soul of a dead person could go, either to the Brahmaloka or to the Candraloka. The former was called Devayāna or Arcirādimārga and the latter as Pitṛyāna or Dhumādimārga.
Terminals of Pitṛyāna[edit]
The various stations mentioned in the Pitṛyāna are:
- Dhuma - smoke
- Rātri - night
- Aparapakṣa - dark fortnight
- Dakṣiṇāyana - southern solstice
- Pitṛloka - world of manes
- Ākāśa - space
- Candramās - world of Somarāja or the king Moon
These words represent the various guides on the path.
Results of Performing Vedic Rites[edit]
Those who perform Vedic rites like Agnihotra and public utility activities like digging wells or planting trees etc., go by this path to the Candraloka[2] and return to the earth after exhausting their religious merit. The Candraloka is more like a heaven from which there is return.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore