Amid Covid restrictions, online tarpan to souls
JAIPUR: While the lockdown enforced by state government to check the spread of Covid-19 has stopped countless activities related to daily life, it has also adversely affected tarpan (a ritual of offering water) to the departed souls.
After losing their loved ones to Covid, the family members can’t go to Haridwar or any of the pilgrimage places for tarpan and asthi-visarjan (immersion of ashes into river) of their loved ones due to travel restrictions. In such a situation, oranisations like Gayatri Shaktipeeth are offering online tarpan facility.
“Covid protocol kept people away not only from performing duties towards their loved ones in illness, but even after their death. This takes a toll on their mental health too. Earlier, we organised online consultation of people with allopathic doctors and experts from homoeopathy and yoga. But after constant queries by perturbed relatives, we decided to start free Online Tarpan,” says Sushil Sharma, incharge at the Durgapura branch of Gayatri Shaktipeeth in Jaipur.
Every Sunday morning, two smartphones mounted on tripods are set up amid a paraphernalia of rice, vermillion, milk, incense and water as one priest chants a text from Yajurveda
while another demonstrates.
Zoom is the online platform chosen for tarpan and an IT team manages the virtual ritual from Durgapura, while the action is telecast live from the Gayatri Shaktipeeth located at Brahmpuri.
The families repeat the ritual at their respective homes. Earlier, they are registered till Saturday, given a Zoom ID and a list of ingredients easily found at home.
“Tarpan is almost 3,000 to 4,000-year-old Vedic ritual and is called Jalaanjali if performed just after the death. It is for tripti (fulfilment) of the soul and Aryama, their sovereign,” says Shastri Koslendradas, assistant professor of Philosophy at Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Rajasthan Sanskrit University.
“Without breaking any Covid SOP (standard operating procedure), about 70 families are feeling satisfied after the Online Tarpan. The online Yagya conducted last Sunday was attended by 900 families from as far as Australia and New Jersey,” said Ranveer Singh Choudhary, incharge of the Shaktipeeth.
..we organised online consultation of people with ...doctors... But after constant queries by perturbed relatives, we decided to start free Online Tarpan