The Śrāddha ceremony for my Mother was performed on Thursday, 8 August 2025 (22 Śrāvaṇa 1432). According to the lunar calendar, the day (tithi) remained under Śukla Chaturdaśī until 1:28 pm, after which Pūrṇimā began at 1:29 pm. Thus, the first part of the Śrāddha took place under the Chaturdaśī tithi, and the remainder under Pūrṇimā.

In the first and second parts of this fourth chapter, I wrote about “Śrāddha and Śraddhā” (Śrāddha and Reverence) and “Ghāṭkāj” (ritualistic water rites) respectively. This third part focuses on the day of the Śrāddha itself.

Viveknagar Kali Temple

The Śrāddha ceremony took place at Viveknagar Kali Temple in the Jadavpur area — a well-known temple in the locality. Originally established as a Kali temple, it is still popularly called Viveknagar Kali Mandir or Kalibari, though the complex now houses idols of several other deities. Its official name is “Viveknagar Devalaya”. Founded in 1950 (Bengali year 1357), it is registered as Society No. S/9228.

A photograph shows the temple — a two-storey pink building with a green roof, large arched windows, and an iron-grilled veranda on the ground floor. In front is an open space with a few bicycles; on one side, branches of a tree; on the other, the temple's spire. — Viveknagar Kali Temple or Viveknagar Devalaya

Inside, the Kali idol is enshrined in a marble-lined sanctum, surrounded by commemorative plaques on the walls and floor. She is dressed in red, with a sun-disc design behind her head. Two windows — one wooden, one grilled — flank the sanctum, whose entrance is framed by ornate woodwork. — Kali idol inside the temple

Radhakrishna idols. In front hangs a swing decorated in red cloth, with their framed picture placed upon it. — Radhakrishna idols

The temple also contains numerous memorial plaques, such as that of Anirban Bhattacharya (Tukai) — born 7 October 1983, died 25 June 2007 — inscribed in Bengali with words of farewell and his mother's grief and prayers. These plaques preserve the memories of many lives. — There are many memorial plaques on the walls and floors inside the temple.
These plaques carry the memories of many people—many lives.

The Venue for the Śrāddha

For the ceremony, we hired the temple’s first-floor space. There were two medium-sized rooms, a connecting balcony, a room to be used as a kitchen, and a toilet. My uncle, Shri Subhabrata Bhattacharyya, took a video of the place two days before the Śrāddha. I’m providing it below, with his voice in Bengali in the background.

Video of Viveknagar temple's first floor (with Bengali audio)
My Mother's Śrāddha was performed here.

Śraddhā — Offering Reverence

The Śrāddha ceremony began at 10:40 am under the guidance of priest Shri Papan Chakraborty. At the start, my uncle and I were present. Following the priest’s directions, I started the traditional offerings, chanted mantras, and prayed.

Praṇām

During the Śrāddha, repeated prostrations were offered to Lord Vishnu. The principal mantra was—

Sanskrit: ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय।
Bengali: ॐ নমঃ ভগবতে বাসুদেবায়।
Translation: Salutations to Lord Vāsudeva (Vishnu/Krishna).

After Vishnu, homage was paid to all deities — Lord Shiva, the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Yama, the ancestors (Pitṛs), and the truth-seeking sages.

Prāyaścitta

The Prāyaścitta (repentance) stage involved reciting mantras and resolving that if any mistakes, lapses of attention, or breaches of scripture had occurred during the mourning period, they be forgiven.

Ṣoḍaśa Dāna (Sixteen Offerings)

The next major stage was making sixteen symbolic and essential offerings for the departed’s well-being in the afterlife:

Rice or staple grain (with five types of sweets)
Uttariya cloth (such as a shawl)
Water pot (kalaśa)
Garments (sari or dhoti)
Lamp
Vegetables and cooking ingredients — spices, salt, mustard oil
Gold (often symbolically as coins)
Silver (symbolically as coins)
Land (symbolically as coins)
Footwear
Betel leaves (tāmbūla)
Umbrella (chatra)
Fragrance (e.g., sandalwood)
Garland or white flowers (e.g., tuberose)
Fruits (often five kinds favoured by the departed)
Bed or bedding

The items for the Ṣoḍaśa Dāna may vary slightly depending on different communities, beliefs, and ritual procedures. These offerings are given for the deceased so that they do not lack anything in their journey to the afterlife. These gifts symbolise life’s essentials — just as parents once provided these to their children, the children now ensure the departed parent lacks nothing on the journey beyond.

I don’t know the practical use of these things — how the person for whom these items are given will use them. However, from a romantic or humanistic perspective, I find this effort to be very meaningful and touching.

This photo shows the sixteen offerings laid out for a Śrāddha ceremony. On a bed, various items are arranged, such as a dhoti, a shawl, rice, fruits, vegetables (brinjal, cucumber), sesame seeds, lentils, jaggery, salt, oil, yoghurt, and honey. In the middle, a brass pot, a brass bowl, a wall clock, and a photo are visible. — *Ṣoḍaśa Dāna* (Sixteen Offerings) for my Mother

Not all Śrāddhas involve Ṣo\ḍaśa Dāna (sixteen offerings); other types exist, such as Tridāna (three offerings — food, clothing, water), Chaturdāna (four offerings — food, clothing, water, fruit), and royal offer (including cattle, gold, silver, and land). For my Mother’s Śrāddha, I performed Ṣo\ḍaśa Dāna.

Piṇ\dadāna

The third stage was Piṇ\dadāna — making rice balls with raw rice, sesame seeds, banana, and sweets, offered as sustenance to the soul for strength on its journey. Usually three generations are honoured — the departed, their parents, and grandparents. If anyone in the lineage died tragically or without a Śrāddha, prayers are also made for their peace.

Piṇ\dadāna affirms the lineage and bonds between generations.

Here, I was making piṇ\das (sacred riceballs) during the Piṇ\dadāna ritual.

Bhagavad Gītā Recitation

On the day of my Mother’s Śrāddha, alongside the main ritual of offering respects, an arrangement was made for the recitation of the Bhagavad Gītā. Shri Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a priest of the Viveknagar Kali Temple, was reciting the Bhagavad Gītā parallel to the Śrāddha ceremony.

Shri Abhijit Mukhopadhyay reciting Bhagavad Gita.

Tributes from Relatives and Acquaintances

Relatives and acquaintances offered floral tributes before my Mother’s photograph.

This is a scene of relatives and acquaintances paying respects to my mother Swapna Dutta's photo on the day of her Śrāddha. In the photo, two pictures of my mother are placed within a huge garland of white tuberoses. a bouquet of tuberoses and an earthen pot, both used as offerings, are also visible next to the garland. — Floral tributes for my Mother

My cousin sister, Iman Bhattacharyya, played a special role, offering homage and praying for her soul’s peace.

Iman Bhattacharyya participated in the Śrāddha and offered tributes to my Mother.
The recitation of the Gītā took place in parallel.

After the main Śrāddha rituals and mantra recitations, a meal was arranged for the relatives, acquaintances, and well-wishers who were present. A total of 72 people were present at my Mother’s Śrāddha ceremony, besides the priests and the catering staff. Their presence during this difficult time was deeply supportive. The Śrāddha achieved its completeness by bringing everyone together to pray for the peace of my Mother’s soul.

In the photo, four people are sitting on chairs in a room. The first person on the left is wearing a dhoti and a white vest and is holding a bag. The other three are wearing shirts and trousers. No one has shoes or slippers on their feet. The room has green walls and a red floor, and more people and an open window are visible in the background. — Lunch for the participants at the end of the *Śrāddha*.

Concluding Remarks

I feel a sense of weariness within me. A dull, heavy ache is lingering.

With this, the third part of the fourth chapter — the Day of Śrāddha — comes to an end.

Charaiveti.