Pitra Dosha In Astrology: Its Impact On Human Life And Effective Remedies To Remove It

What is Pitra Dosha?

Pitra in Sanskrit means forefathers or ancestors. Pitra Dosh or Pitru Dosh (the curse of ancestors), according to Vedic astrology, is a birth defect or a defect that occurs later in a native's life.

According to Brahma Purana, in time of Amavasya or on a particular Tithi, Lord Yamaraj allows the souls to descend on the earth plane for Shradh or 'Tarpana' ritual when a soul leaves the physical body to integrate divine energy from this process. If we don’t perform Tarpan rituals, we deprive them of this soul energy progress and, in an empty hand, return to the pitraloka. This displeasure is reflected as a dosha. There is a belief that these departed souls feel immense thirst and hunger on these Amavasya days and can only accept offerings from their families during Shradh rituals.

Causes of forming Pitra Dosha:

During the lifetime when someone’s ancestors have inflicted trouble or pain on someone or sinned during their lifetime, it is reflected as pitra dosha in the native's natal chart.

The types of wrongdoings that are caused by Pitra Dosha in one’s natal chart are mentioned below:

• If anybody missed out on any ancestral rituals. That brings a curse from the suffering departed souls in their own families.

• If any person is hurt or abused due to any dead ancestor’s wrongdoing, then a curse may come to the next generation.

• Desertion of aged parents and elderly from the family, abandoning them, can curse the whole family.

• When any abortions take place after 48 days of pregnancy for a stillborn infant. Since the soul is embedded into the womb around the 7th month of pregnancy, stillborn infants should also be considered departed souls.

• Stealing wealth, assets, or something that is not lawfully owned or forcefully looting and deceiving others in an unprincipled or wicked manner.

• Accumulation of wealth by misuse of authority and powers granted to them.

• False accusations, deliberately spreading rumours and speaking ill of someone with the wrong intention.

• Sudden and unnatural death of any relative ancestors at an early age; Pitra Dosha occurs if any ancestors up to the 7th generation on the father’s side and up to the 4th generation on the mother’s side have expired at an early age or have had an unnatural death.

Planetary positions responsible for Pitra Dosha:

Certain planetary positions are the reason for the formation of Pitra Dosha in the Native’s chart.

The planets and the houses that are forming Pitra Dosha in one’s birth chart are:

• SUN: represents father/fatherly figures and ancestors.

• MOON: represents Mother and Mind.

• SATURN: represents debts, sin and difficulties in life.

• 9th House: represents past life and forefathers.

• 2nd House: represents family, heritage and bloodline. Planetary combinations are responsible for Pitra dosh.

A Kundli is considered to be affected by Pitra dosh if, in the horoscope, the 9th house or its lord is either in conjunction with or is aspected by Rahu or Ketu.

If the Sun and/or Jupiter are in the Kundli in conjugation with Rahu or Ketu, it gives the effect of Pitra dosh to some extent.

Sun and Rahu or Sun and Saturn in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 9th and 10th houses of the birth chart. Rahu is in the ascendant and the lord of the ascendant in the 6th, 8th or 12th house; in that case also Pitra Dosha forms in the horoscope.

Effects of Pitra Dosha:

• Pitra Dosha can delay marriage and cause chaos in love life, leading to traumatic breakups; it can scamper smooth conjugal relations. Failed marriages and painful episodes in marital life are the most common signs of this dosha.

• The number of bachelors or spinsters will characterise the family with Pitra Dosha. There will be eligible bachelors in the family who do not want to get married despite many suitable matrimonial matches.

• Undiagnosed medical challenges in progeny, multiple miscarriages, and unknown causes that forbid conceiving.

• There will be no male child born in the family for many generations or no child in the family.

• The birth of differently-abled children with genetic disorders like Down syndrome, PWS syndrome, and physically challenged children could reflect Pitra Dosha.

• Sudden accidents and unnatural deaths of infants, children, or men in the family.

• Theft, fire accidents, and other financial losses may result from this dosha.

• Natives may often suffer financial debts despite their productive efforts in careers or businesses. Due to the ill effects of Pitra Dosh, the family might lack financial growth and always face unplanned expenses and inadequacy.

• Lack of interest in seeking a job, continuing family business, or pursuing higher education even though they are highly capable and qualified to do so.

• Frequent dreams of elderly ancestors or a dead family member pleading for food or asking for clothes. Also, disturbing dreams of dead family members dying again.

Types of Pitra Dosha:

As per Veda, there are 14 types of Pitra dosh based on the strength and degree of the malefic planets forming the dosha in the Kundli. But as per scholars and astrologists, 3 types of Pitra dosha are recognised which are as follows:

• Mild Impact: The Sun, when placed in an enemy’s sign or houses of malefic planets, forms a mild impact of pitra dosh.

• Intermediate impact: if the Sun is aspected by Rahu/Ketu/Saturn/Mars, then the pitra dosh impact will be of the second degree, leaving moderate results.

• Heavy impact: When the sun is placed along with Rahu/Ketu/Saturn/Mars in the signs in the order Virgo/Pisces/Capricorn & Aquarius/Scorpio, it forms the most impactful pitra dosh. This is often said to have traumatic effects on the native.

Pitra Dosh Remedies:

• Reciting Gayatri Mantra, Aditya Hrudayam, performing Surya Namaskar asana, and lighting lamps for the Sun God on Sundays can pacify the Sun planet, the crucial planet in this dosha.

• The natives should feed the Brahmins.

• Donate money and red clothes to them and perform Pitra Tarpan on a Sunday of Sankranti or Amavasya.

• Watering and worshipping Peepal and Banyan trees regularly or at least on Somvati Amavasya, will mitigate Pitru Dosha.  The natives should perform the rituals of Shradh with utmost sincerity.

• Natives should offer water to their pitras for 15 days during the shradh or on the tithi of their death.

• Perform Pind Daan.

• Perform Naryan Bali Pooja and Naryan Nag Bali Pooja.

• Donating food and clothes to the needy and sponsoring orphans can also mitigate pitru dosha effects.

• Feeding birds like crows, parrots, and animals like cows and dogs, or simply being inclusive of the environment around us, can greatly reduce dosha effects. Empathising with all living beings can elevate our ancestors’ state in other realms.

• Unconditional, selfless service to parents, elders, and aged people in the community.