[Advaita-l] tarpana vichaara / vidhi

[Bhaskar YR]

praNAms Sri Anand Hudli prabhuji
hare Krishna

The devatA's vasu-rudra-Aditya are adhiShThAtR devatAs for the father, grandfather, and great grandfather. They play a role in ensuring that food is available to the Pitrs in accordance with the form of current existence of each by means of different acts in the shrAddha ritual. It is said that those Pitrs who have become gods will get their food through "pANi-homa"
(or the homa performed by yajurvedins), those in heavenly worlds will get food through "vipra-bhojana" (feeding brAhmaNas), those in Yamaloka will get food through "piNDa-pradAna" (offering piNDas), those in Naraka (hell) will get food through the vikira, those in the form of animals will get food through tarpaNa, those in the form of rAkShasas will get food through bhUri-bhojana (grand meal), those in the form of Rishis will get food through dakShiNA. The devatAs, vasu-rudra-Aditya are themselves pleased with these acts and ensure that food is made available to Pitrs in accordance with their current form of existence. The analogy given is that of a pregnant woman yearning for a particular dish and getting it through her husband. By doing so, she pleases herself, nourishes the baby growing in her womb, and pleases her husband too, who gets the satisfaction of having fulfilled the desire of his pregnant wife. Vasu and other deities play a similar role.

>  Thanks for your kind clarification prabhuji.  Yes, I have read this in Ontikoppal paNchaanga also.  

The association of vasu etc. with father, etc is in accordance with the relation that the kartA has with the particular Pitr. Just as the same person may be a son to his parents, father to his children, grandfather to his grandchildren, uncle to his nephews, etc., the same Pitr may be associated with different devatAs depending on the relation with the
(shrAddha) kartA. What matters is that the Pitr gets food through a devatA because of the shrAddhakartA and blesses him.

>  Thanks again for confirming and explaining this in the context of shrAddhakartA.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar