The Yogi Gupta Society is pleased to announce that Shraddha and Navaratra will be performed this year in India on the bank of the Ganges River by Brahmin priests under the auspices of the Yogi Gupta Society.1
![Photo of Yogi Gupta performing a past Shraddha Ceremony on the bank of the Ganges River in Laxmanjhula.](https://yogiguptasociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GuruShraddha2005-1-scaled.jpg)
Shraddha
Shraddha – offering food, water, mantras and blessings to the departed relatives and ancestors – is an essential and necessary duty in life. Through Shraddha, a new body is provided for the ancestor’s spirit, who is thus aided in its progress from lower worlds to higher. The departed ones receive the benefit of Shraddha even though they have been born again.
Everyone has this obligation toward deceased relatives and the Manes (souls of the departed ancestors). Deceased spirits expect from their living relatives’ performance of Shraddha rites. The Manes get pleasure and satisfaction from it and, in return, they favorably influence the family fortune and happiness of the performer. Through Shraddha the performer gets peace, happiness, success, and affluence, and achieves fulfillment of his worldly obligations and responsibilities.
Shraddha this year will be performed from September 18th to October 2nd on the bank of the Ganges River with Tarpan (libations), Pind Daan (offering of rice balls), clothes distribution, Bhandara (sattvic meal) and Brahmin Dakshina* (gifts to persons of spiritual merit).2
The gifts and feasts made on behalf of the departed souls of your ancestors are received by the said souls as the fruits of their own acts, and the sense which they thus acquire fills them with better hopes and desires for their future state, (hence rises the hope of redemption by means of the redeeming Son of Man).3
![Photo of Yogi Gupta with nine Brahmin priests in a past Navaratra yagna and offering of havis (havan samagri) in the sacred fire while chanting mantras addressing Durga Ma.](https://yogiguptasociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GuruNavaratra2005-1-scaled.jpg)
Navaratra Path
This worship of Divine Mother Durga Ma, who rides a lion and wields weapons to destroy the evils of mundane existence is conducted in India by the Brahmin priests in the manner prescribed by Yogi Gupta in years past. The Autumn Navaratra has a high significance and brings great blessings occurring as it does at the end of the rainy season that has washed away all the dirt of the earth and has brought the bright, clear and charming autumn.
The Brahmin priests during nine days of Navaratra live a life of austerity, i.e., sleeping on the floor, eating only sattvic food, and praying and chanting the mantra of the scripture, Durga Sapta Sattee. The priests perform yagna (sacrifice or worship) on the ninth day and beg for the Grace of Mother Durga on your behalf for the fulfillment of your specific desire that you have requested. Navaratra Path will be performed this year from October 3rd to October 11th, with Paths (readings of scripture), Havan (fire offering) and Kanya Poojan (worship of the female Divinity during Navaratra), Bhandara and distribution of Dakshina.4 On such an occasion, the following benefits may be obtained by the worship of the Goddess Durga on the dates above.
No. | Benefit |
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1. | Victory over enemies. |
2. | Deliverance from poverty, adversity, fear and pains. |
3. | Prevent calamity and grief in your life. |
4. | Protection from all the afflictions and evil influences. |
5. | Protection from troubles caused by supernatural spirits. |
6. | Protection and freedom from physical, mental and emotional problems. |
7. | Protection from fire, weapons and burglaries. |
8. | Freedom from bad dreams and negative influences of bad stars. |
9. | Protection from fire accidents. |
10. | Deliverance from all kinds of sufferings |
11. | Bestowing upon one fame, glory, riches, wealth, prosperity, satisfaction of heart-felt desires (whether temporal or spiritual) and wisdom. |
12. | Attainment of long life. |
13. | Attainment of the desired goal. |
14. | Avoidance of accidents and unexpected death. |
15. | Prevention of physical, material and spiritual agonies. |
16. | Achievement of happy marriage and satisfying family life. |
17. | No separation from one’s dear ones, whom you love. |
18. | Achievement of self-respect and respect in society. |
19. | Achievement of good luck and victory over all obstacles. |
20. | Welfare, success and joy to the family. |
21. | Attainment of spiritual knowledge here and salvation hereafter. |
May Durga Ma grant you the blessing you seek.
Making Your Requests for Shraddha or Navaratra Path
To make your request, the donation for each Shraddha beneficiary in the request is $155 and the donation for each Navaratra Path benefit is $165. There is a $45 courier fee for the entire request together. Th deadline for receiving requests is August 22st, 2024. There is a late charge of $100 for any requests received after that date.
Patrons should include instructions for their requests, which we will forward to the Brahmin Priests in India along with the payment. For Shraddha requests, instructions should include for each beneficiary the name of the departed soul, your relationship, and, if known, the date of birth and date of death.
For Navaratra Path requests, instructions should include the name of each beneficiary, and number of the specific intended benefit from the above list of benefits that you desire to obtain from Divine Mother Durga Ma. More than one benefit can be requested for a beneficiary, however the donation for each benefit is $165.
Payments for Shraddha or Navaratra Path can be made via Paypal to payments@yogiguptasociety.org, please add 3% Paypal fee to the total if paying via Paypal. We will also accept cashier’s check, USPS money orders or personal checks made out to Yogi Gupta Society, Inc. and mailed to the address below. Early payment is advised if paying by check to allow sufficient time for the check to clear.
Requests can be sent by email to: info@yogiguptasociety.org, or by mail to
Yogi Gupta Society, Inc.
629 W. 170th St., Apt. 2B
New York, NY 10032
Om Shanti,
Mohan Dass, Secretary
Yogi Gupta Society, Inc.
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Except for dates, addresses or as otherwise noted, the Shraddha and Navaratra portions of this announcement are paraphrased from the 2001 version of the annual Shraddha and Navaratra bulletin sent by the Yogi Gupta New York Center to Yogi Gupta’s disciples and patrons.↩︎
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These details of the Shraddha ceremonies are from private correspondence in 2017 from the Brahmin priests to YGS.↩︎
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Mitra, Vihari-Lala, translator (1891). The Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha of Vālmīki: Sanskrit text and English translation, Volume 3, Chapter LVI, Verse 3.56.38 and commentary by the translator.↩︎
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These details of the Navaratra ceremonies are from private correspondence in 2017 from the Brahmin priests to YGS.↩︎