In the literal sense of the word, ‘Pinda’ means the body, and ‘Daan’ means offering. Hence Pind Daan essentially means the offering of food (Aahar) to the deceased person in order to help his soul travel the full journey cycle of attaining Moksha.
Pind Daan is a ceremony performed after the death of a person, to help the departed soul reach its destination of ‘Salvation’, Performing Pind Daan is considered mandatory in the Hindu religion as it is believed that every person is born with a debt known as the ‘Pitra Rin’ which means the debt of the ancestors. And in order to free oneself of the ‘Pitra Rin’ it is mandatory to perform Pind Daan, Shradh, Tarpan, and Anna Daan both post-death and also on the auspicious tithi of our Pitra Devtas.
According to the Garun Purana, ‘The deceased soul is aware that it can no longer relate with the old body which is now dead, and it is only the Pind Daan of the family members which will help it take the shape of a new body’.

Where does one perform Pind Daan/Shradh?

Kashi is the favorite abode of Pitru Devtas, even on hearing the word ‘Kashi’ our Pitra Devtas flock to Kashi in anticipation of Shradh, Tarpan, and Pind Daan. and it is our responsibility of us to satisfy our Pitra Devtas and fulfill their requirements in the journey of their soul to attain Moksha from this sacred place of Mahadev. It is believed that in Kashi lord Vishwanath himself gives the Tarak Mantra in the ears of the devotee to help him attain Shiv Dham

Rituals followed for performing Pind Daan are :

• Pind Daan is performed by the eldest member (male) of the family but in exceptional cases, females can also do Pind Daan for their family members.
• Before performing the Pind Daan it is mandatory to take a dip in the holy river Ganges or any divine kund which may be locally present.
• For performing Pind Daan the devotee is supposed to dress up in white clothes and also keep a ‘Anga Vastra’ on his shoulders.
• In Pind, Daan balls are made of circular shapes with the help of rice and other food materials which the Pitru Devatas take with a sense of smell and from the emotion of the family member performing the Pind Daan.
• Shradh and Pind Daan should always be done in the afternoon before the setting of the sun.
• Brahmin Bhojan, Vastra Daan, Annadan, and Gau Daan are mandatory rituals to be performed after the Pind Daan ceremony.

How many times should one do Pind Daan for his ancestors?

According to Hindu Vedic Shastras, the journey of the deceased soul starts immediately after the demise of the person. The 1st Pind Daan is offered between the first 13 days from the date of passing away of the person.
Then exactly one year after the annual tithi of the person as determined by the Panchang Calendar a ‘Varshik Shradh or Varsi’ should be performed with Pind Daan and other offerings. After the performance of Varshik Shradh then the tirth Shradh i.e Pind Daan on the sacred places should be done in Kashi, Prayag, and Gaya.
Once the devotee finishes with the Tirth Shradh they can annually perform Pind Daan during the Mahalaya month of Pitru Paksha and attain the blessings of their Pitru Devtas. Apart from the above timeline of Pind Daan and Shradh, devotees can perform regular Anna Daan, Vastra Daan, Brahmin Bhojan, and Gaur Daan on the auspicious tithi of their Pitra Devtas.