Sthālipāka
By Swami Harshananda
Sthālipāka literally means ‘boiling or cooking in the earthen pot’.
Sthālī is an earthen bowl used for holding rice grains. When husked grains are cooked in the sthālī, on the dakṣiṇāgni, mixed with clarified butter they form the sthālipāka. It is used as an oblation to the pitṛs. It is also the name of a sacrifice belonging to the pākayajña group. It is performed on the first full-moon day after marriage by the married couple. Its continued performance on the day of full-moon and new-moon throughout their lives has been recommended.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore