Sirs
For performing Gaya Srartham NO thithi, vara , nakshatra etc. is taken into consideration. The day need not be the Srartha Thithi of our beloved parents (can perform for father alone if mother is alive). We can perform Srartham (its only called Pinda Dhanam) any day - month - star - thithi etc. No Madi Acharam etc need to be seen in Gaya - as it is the holy ceremony performed to all the 7 Thalaimurai souls, starting from our parents. The priest / vadhyar at Gaya explains in details; especially about Mathru Karma - and no one will be left without Crying. When Pindam is offered to Mother and her side - he explains the value and the glory of a mother!! if any one happens to hear the same, surely (if any one is survived with mother) they will never let her in old age home.
If we need to perform Gaya Srartham only to father - then 32 pindams are offerred.
If the Srartham is to be performed for both father and mother - then 64 pindams are offered.
Before going to Gaya - Please ensure that you have the list of all of your ancestors - (as usual list of yearly thruvathyanam) + all the departed athai, mama, sithappa, periappa, vagayaras. This apart, the beloved ones (need not be blood relatives) name star, gothram also can be noted down according to the number of pindams we will be offering.
Karnataka Bhavan will brief you everything a to z and one need not worry reaching Karnataka Bhavan. one should reach the place the earlier day itself and stay their at night (free lodging) rooms are there. If you want food / tiffin / coffee it is served at very very nominal price, (clean and hygenically served).
On Srartha day the food is free - by the time the srartham ends it wil become 4 p.m. One has to be ready to fast from the morning till the pinda thanam at various places is completed.
for reaching Vishnu patham etc. share auto facility is available at Rs.5/- per head and every one used to go in that only - unless they have their own vehicles.
For Iyengars Pinda thanam is performed only at Gaya Skeshtram.
For smarthas they perform in Kasi - Gaya - Thriveni and back to Rameshwaram as detailed by one of the members in ths group.
adiyen
ramanuja dasan
Namaskarams to all. I am Tamil Smartha Brahminof Thanjavur origin. We do not perform the usual annual sraddhams in Gaya. We are required to perform them in our house or in Varanasi. Last year we performed both sraddhams in Kashi and then performed Gaya sraddham, Thriveni, Kasi thirttha sraddhams etc separately (collectively called "Kashi Yatra").
Also we collect beach soil from Dhanushlodi (some pujas done) and immerse it in Triveni. We perform Abhishekam with Ganga jalam to Lord Shiva in Rameswaram on return from Kashi. For us Kashi Yatra is complete only after we make this second visit to Rameswaram.
I am intersted to know whether there is any difference in the procedures for Tamil Vaishnavites/ Telugu/Kannada Brahmins. (Also for Madhvas).
Swamin
Karnataka Bhavan at Gaya can be contacted for detailed routing to reach Gaya.
They are doing the Gaya Srartham very excellently; giving tamil meanings for
important mantrams, yet all.... they charge Rs.2000+300 in Total........nothing
more need to be paid to any one. If we wish to offer Veshti then its our
wish..... Recently we had been to Gaya and performed our Father's ceremony.
(condition Gaya srartham can be done only after the Varushabtheegam of the
departed soul). I shall give the email id / contact details etc. by tomorrow
adiyen
ramanujadasan
Swamin
Here is the address and contact numbers of Karnataka Bhavan, Gaya
rest of the detail can be obtained from respective contacts.
Adiyen
Ramanuja dasan
The current contact persons:
M. N. Raghvendra Acharya
M. N. Krishna Acharya
C/o Late Shodshi M. N. Bachchu Acharya S/o Late Shodshi M. Narayana Acharya
Address for correspondence is:
M. N. Raghvendra Acharya
C/o Late M. N. Bachchu Acharya
Karnataka Bhavan
Nai Sadak, Panch Mohalla
Near Ram Sagar Tank, Gaya
Bihar. Pin - 823001
Phone No. 0631-2224182 -- (Preferred)
9934023514
email:
admin@karnatakabhavan.com
I remember the name of the river at Gaya as Phalguni.
At Akshaya Vadam, we heard the following local story from the bruhuspathi.
Lord Rama with Sita came to Gaya and wanted to do the pinda arpanam to his father Dasaratha at this place. Leaving Sita near a tree, He went to collect materials. As it took some time, Dasaratha appeared before Sita and said he was hungry and asked Sita to provide him with some food. Sita pleaded helplessness and asked Dasaratha to wait until Lord Rama comes with the materials. As Dasaratha could not wait for long, Sita made pindams from sand and offered them to Dasaratha and he enjoyed that food and disappeared. When Lord Rama returned and heard this, Sita told Him that trees, rivers, beahmins, etc. were the witnesses to this happening. But when Lord Rama addressed them, they were silent except the Tree. Sita cursed all of them except the Tree, and consequently, the Tree alone grew and grew and stands even now to this day, but brahmins were cursed - they would never be content however much they get from karthas - river was cursed, - there is no water in it most of the time and it is dry - but the tree grows and stands in all fame.
The above is subject to my memory being correct.
Adiyen Padmanabha Dasan
Respected collegues in the Group,
I am planning a trip to Gaya, Kasi, Allahabad, Ayodhya, Pushkar, etc. during late March/April. In this context, I digged some information on planning this pilgrimage. What I understand and came to know, I am giving below for the information of the group with an anticipation that other members who had had similar experiences will share them with others.
Every Hindu has to do a Gaya Sraddham during his lifetime for offering pinda in that soil in honour of forefathers by performing a ceremony with the guidance of local Brihaspathis there. There can be discussions about the Acharams and Anushtanams that are followed by the local Brihaspathis/Pundits there who are involved in assisting pilgrims to do the Gaya Sraddham. I came to know at one time that we cannot take our own Brihaspathi from here to Gaya and perform the gaya sraddham there and we will have to go by the local Brihaspathis in that soil notwithstanding their Acharams and Anushtanams differing with ours.
As per a Lifco Publication, the gaya kshetram is a Punya Bhoomi. There was an Asuran called Gayasuran who did penance and obtained a Boon from Lord Vishnu to get his sariram more purified and sanctified than the sareerams of Brahma and Sivan so that anyone in contact with him will become a Punyathma giving no work to Yama in due course. All devas approached Lord Vishnu to stop this practice and on Lord's instructions, a Yaga was performed in this soil on the head of the Gayasuran. Brahma and Siva and Devas were present at the Yagam, but the Gayasuran's head was always dancing and tilting and Lord Vishnu came and stamped His feet on that head which then stopped its movements and the Yaga was successful. On the request of Gayasuran, Lord Vishnu granted the request that all the Trimurthis and all Devas will do Nityavasam in that soil. Whoever offers Pindas at the place where the Lord Vishnu stamped His feet (Vishnu Padam) attain the benefit of their Pithrus for 21 generations obtaining Nalla Gadhi.
I am told that Prathyabdhika Sraddham cannot be done at Gaya and we have to do it in our place according to our own Anushtanam and Practices. Gaya Sraddham is a once in a life time ceremony to be done there following the local customs and practices with the local priests or pundits or brihaspthis. One should stay there in Gaya for this purpose for two days, I believe, and the Pinda Dhanam ceremonies take about 8 hours or so in a day.
If group members can enlighten everyone with more information or share their own experiences in this regard, it will be a good contribution to vaidheekam karma. Sastras may or may not talk about this, but some Puranas and age old customs and practices do give this significance and importance and if one has a facility, he should follow this practice too as part of his Karma.
srI:
srimate ramanujaya namaha
Dear Swamin,
dasoham.
adiyen has once performed varshAptikam at Gaya. There
was an article in Sri Ranganatha Paduka about Gaya in
year 2005 issues.
You must know the bruhaspati or someone to come and
pick you up at the Gaya station. There is a scandal
going on. If you are new to Gaya, the cycle-rickshaw
driver will take you to someone other than your
bruhaspati and you ended up with a wrong person. (he
knows that you haven't seen the bruhaspati). This was
about to happen to us, and we were lucky and we
escaped from that trap.
If you plan to perform Anna sraddham, it is very
likely that the same cooked food will be shared among
many.
Aluminum utensils will be used for cooking. It is very
nice to have cooks brought from your hometown with you
to Gaya. Only Gaya valis have the right to partake
nimantaranam. There are few Vaishnava priests
available there.
Though our vadhyars say that only pratyAptikam should
be performed in Gaya, I have seen people performing 13
days
rituals at Gaya after the cremation at their home
town.
Sri VAsu vadhyar swami can comment on this.
Here are the contact lists at Gaya:-
Please contact Karnataka Bhavan for South Indian
vadhyars. (most vadhyars are Madhwa)
1. sri raghavendra acharya at karnataka bhavan
phone 0631-2422723 at gaya for South Indian purohit.
2. M.N. Bachu Acharya, s/o late M Narayana Acharya
,Ram Sagar, Nai Sadak Road, Near Panch Mahalia, Gaya
823001
Phone no 0631[code] 2435432(bhavan), 2422732 (res)
3. narasimha acharya son of
late ramachandra acharya
Krishan Dwaraika Street
Near Chandchoura, Gaya
Pincode 823001 Bihar
Contact No. 0631-2422712
4. Sriman Raja Iyer, Manager, Sri Kanchi Mutt,
Gaya. Cell No: 9431-271-554
5. Kama Koti Sankaramatam, Ph: 0631-2421180;
Ahalyabai Vishnu pada Road, Gaya, Bihar.
One should be careful about dealing with money;how
much should pay for the services. (Rs 3000 is a
reasonable amount).
Wish you good luck.
Jai srimannarayana!