Dos Nivaran Pooja

Pitra Dosh is one of the most misinterpreted concepts of Vedic astrology; as many astrologers describe it as the curse of ancestors and accordingly they suggest remedies to pacify and please the ancestors, so that such ancestors may take back their curse. For this reason, these astrologers recommend their clients to get Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja performed at places like Haridwar, Badrinath Dham, Gaya Ji or Trayambkeshwar temple in order to rectify Pitra Dosh present in their horoscopes. These astrologers suggest that Shraadh karmas, poojas and charities should be performed at these places in order to pacify the ancestors.

However such remedies are not likely to benefit the natives suffering from Pitra Dosh as Pitra Dosh is not the curse of the ancestors but the ancestors of the native having this defect in his horoscope are themselves cursed. It means that the ancestors of one such native have committed bad karmas and the native has to pay for them. Hence the remedies for this defect; like Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja should not be performed with the goal of pleasing the ancestors, they should be performed with the goal of relieving the ancestors of their karmic debts so that the native may also feel relieved.

Before moving ahead with Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja, let’s first understand what Pitra Dosh is. If Sun or the ninth house of a horoscope is afflicted by one or more than one malefic planet, Pitra Dosh is formed in the horoscope. Depending on the planet that causes malefic influence on Sun or the ninth house, Pitra Dosh can be of nine types as there are nine planets among navagraha and each planet can form one type of Pitra Dosh in a horoscope, when it is malefic. Hence in order to perform Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja for a native, the first thing to do is to find out the planet or planets which form this defect in his horoscope and then perform pooja for Pitra Dosh formed by that planet. For the sake of this discussion, we will consider the procedure of Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja when this defect is formed by malefic Saturn in a horoscope.

Saturn Pitra Dosh is the type of Pitra Dosh which is formed in a horoscope when Saturn is malefic in the horoscope and it afflicts Sun or the ninth house of the horoscope. Since this type of Pitra Dosh is formed by malefic Saturn in the horoscope, it is called Saturn Pitra Dosh in general. Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja is performed in order to rectify this defect in a horoscope. This fact should be first analyzed carefully from the horoscope of the native that Pitra Dosh is being formed in his horoscope due to the affliction of malefic Saturn to the ninth house or Sun. This is because, Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja will rectify the Pitra Dosh present in a horoscope; only if it is formed by malefic Saturn and this pooja won’t do much good if Pitra Dosh present in a horoscope is formed by another planet. Hence it should be made sure that this defect is formed in a horoscope by malefic Saturn and no other planet among navagraha.

The most important step in performing any type of pooja to rectify any defect is to perform the chant of a mantra specified to reduce the strength of that defect and this chant amounts to a number of 125,000 in most cases. For example, Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja should ideally include a chant of 125,000 Saturn Veda mantras; and rest of the procedure is built around this chant. Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja is generally started on a Saturday and it is generally completed on the following Saturday. The day of start of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja can sometimes change depending on the time which is required by the pandits performing this pooja to complete the chant of Saturn Veda mantras.

Generally the pandits are able to complete this chant in 7 days due to which this pooja is generally started on a Saturday and it is completed on the following Saturday. All the necessary steps for this pooja are conducted during this time which is Saturday to Saturday. Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja vidhi or procedure may include many different steps at many stages and it is not possible to mention all those steps here, but we will cover most of the important steps for this pooja.

On the starting day of this pooja, a Sankalp or resolution is taken by the pandits who are usually 5 in number. In this Sankalp, the head pandit takes an oath before Lord Shiva that he and his assistant pandits are going to perform a chant of 125,000 Saturn Veda mantras for a specific person who is the native and whose name, his father’s name and his family surname is also mentioned in Sankalp. The names of the pandits doing this chant are also mentioned. Similarly, the days taken to complete this chant are also mentioned and the specific wishes required by the native as a result of this pooja are also mentioned. This is the first step which starts Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja. The specific wishes prayed by the native generally include the nivaran of Saturn Pitra Dosh in his horoscope, and overall good results.

After this, all the pandits start chanting Saturn Veda mantra on daily basis for about 6 to 8 hours a day; and in such a way that they are able to complete the chant of 125,000 mantras till the decided day of completion of this pooja. The pandits keep chanting Saturn Veda mantra on daily basis till the day of the completion and they complete the committed chant of mantras on that day. After completion of chant of Saturn Veda mantra, the completion ceremony is arranged for the pooja, which can take about 2-3 hours if done with proper procedure. A pooja for lord Shiva, goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and other members of Shiva family is performed first, and many types of offerings like flowers, fruits, sweets, milk, curd, honey, desi ghee, sugar and many other things are offered to these gods and goddesses.

The completion of the resolution or Sankalp taken by the pandits is repeated and it is conveyed to the gods by pandits that they have completed the chant of 125,000 Saturn Veda mantras in the time promised by them and in the manner promised by them. It is also mentioned that this chant and pooja have been performed on behalf of their client whose name and other details are mentioned again. It is then preyed that their client should be blessed with the good results of this Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja since he has followed all the procedures for this pooja and he has got this pooja performed through pandits in order to rectify Saturn Pitra Dosh present in his horoscope. It should be noted that this pooja performed at the day of completion of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja follows specific procedures and accordingly this pooja or its procedure may differ for different types of Pitra Dosh.

Things related to and the things signifying navagraha or some specific planets among navagraha are also offered and donated during the course of this final pooja ceremony for Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja. These things may include, rice, wheat, sugar, salt, milk, blankets, copper utensils, pulses, lentils, white moles, black moles, mustard oil and some other things, each of which relates to one or the other planet among navagraha. A Sankalp is once again made by the main pandit, which says that they have performed this specific pooja to rectify Saturn Pitra Dosh present in the horoscope of the native and that the native is also offering a variety of goods in order to reduce the effect of this Pitra Dosh.

After completion of this pooja, blessings are taken from the gods and goddesses; and then the ceremony of Havna is started, which is the final and a very important ceremony as this is the ceremony through which, a direct connection between the native and the corresponding planets or gods is established with the help of pandits. Havna is a very important and technical procedure and it should be carried out by expert pandits with great attention and care. After starting the Havna and after completing the necessary formalities, the chant of Saturn Veda mantra is again started and this time with the completion of each mantra, a sound of Swaaha is chanted by the pandits. Upon the chant of this sound of Swaaha, certain specific things which form the constituents of pooja Samagri which can vary from pooja to pooja; are offered in a specific way to the holy fire which has been lit to perform the Havna for Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja.

This process is repeated again and again; and each time the pandits chant the sound of Swaaha, pooja samagri is offered to the holy fire of Havna in a specific way. Once the specific chant of Saturn Veda mantra fixed for the Havna is completed, some other important mantras are chanted, which may differ from pooja to pooja and here again, pooja samagri is offered to the holy fire of Havna at the sound of Swaaha at the completion of each mantra. Finally, a dry coconut is filled with certain specific things which may again be different for different poojas. This coconut is then placed in the holy fire of Havna as the final offering with the chant of some specific mantras and the desired result is once again preyed by the pandits on behalf of the native.

The client or the native is then asked to complete 1, 3 or 7 circles around the Havna kund where each one of these circular movement is called a Pradakshina or a Parikarama and upon the completion of such Parikarmas, Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja is completed. Though Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja includes many other steps and procedures than the ones mentioned here, these steps are the most important steps of this pooja and they should be executed by expert pandits. Missing some of the important procedures or not doing them properly can reduce the effects of the pooja and the native may not get proper benefic results from his Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja.

There are some precautions which should be observed by the native during the running time of his Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja, otherwise he may not get proper results from such this pooja. From the time of start of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja till the time of completion of this pooja, the native for whom this pooja is being performed should abstain from eating non vegetarian foods of all types including fish and egg. He should stay away from liquors and alcohols of all types; and he should also stay away from smoking for all this time or he should reduce it as much as he can. Apart from this, the native should also not make sexual contacts with any female including his lawful wife.

The native should also not engage in bad conducts of violence, hatred or any other types of conducts which are considered immoral; during the running time of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja. The native should try to connect himself to Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja on daily basis; which he can do by praying to god Saturn; daily after taking bath and repeating the Sankalp that the main Pandit had made on his behalf at the start of this pooja.

The native should address god Saturn and say through his words or through his mind that he is getting Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja performed with a chant of 125,000 Veda mantras of Saturn and this pooja is being performed at such and such place by a specific number of pandits. He should further say that he is following all the procedures and precautions with complete dedication and devotion; and that god Saturn should bless him with the best possible results for this pooja.

It should be noted that Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja can be performed in the presence of the native as well as in the absence of the native. In case the native is unable to be personally present at the place of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja, this pooja is conducted with the help of native’s picture, in which the native should be alone and no one else should be present in this picture. This picture should be as recent as possible. In this case, the main pandit will take the sankalp for this pooja on behalf of the native, in the presence of his picture. The name of native’s father and the surname of his family is spoken in the Sankalp and it is also mentioned by the main pandit that this native is unable to attend to this pooja by means of his personal presence; and hence a specific pandit whose name and surname is mentioned, will carry out all the rituals to be performed by the native, on behalf of the native.

This pandit is one of the pandits who are going to perform a chant of 125,000 Saturn Veda mantras for the native. This way, the rituals to be performed by the native at the starting day and completion day of Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja are performed by the chosen pandit; and it is conveyed by him on both these days that he is performing these rituals on behalf of the native. The picture of the native is always kept present during the pooja and it is used as a symbol of the native. For example, if the chosen pandit is supposed to offer flowers to Lord Shiva, he will first touch his hand carrying the flowers with the picture of the native, and he will then offer those flowers to Lord Shiva.

All other rituals are also performed likewise. It is important to note that even if the native is personally not present for his Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja, he is strictly supposed to practice all the necessary precautions for this pooja, in whichever part of the world he may be present during the running time of such pooja. The native should also keep repeating his Sankalp for Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja on daily basis as mentioned above; and he should ask for the best results of this pooja from god Saturn.

Getting Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja performed along with the other necessary astrological remedies like yantras, gemstones and charities certainly helps reduce the malefic effects of Saturn Pitra Dosh formed in a horoscope. However, it should be kept in mind that Pitra Dosh is a different type of defect, which means that the same remedies or the same poojas are not performed for all the natives like in case of many other defects; and different remedies may be needed in different cases, depending on the planets which form this defect. Hence Saturn Pitra Dosh nivaran pooja should only be performed after properly analyzing the horoscope of the native and after determining that the malefic planet which forms Pitra Dosh in the horoscope of the native is Saturn and no other planet among navagraha.