Shashthi Shraddha
Shraddha for ancestors who passed away on Shashthi tithi.
Shraddha (Pitru Paksha) reminders are on for this device. Manage all reminders
Beta Rules awaiting automated Jyotish review
This festival's date rule is applied exactly as documented, but it has not yet passed the platform's Jyotish review (an automated review against the classical texts and published Panchangs). Regional Panchangs may differ; confirm with your family priest or local temple.
- CategoryShraddha
- Defining tithi / momentKrishna Paksha Shashthi: to
- Lunar monthBhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta)
Timings on Tuesday, 21 September 2027
- Kutup Muhurat to 0 h 49 min · 21/09/2027 (Tue)
- Rohina Muhurat to 0 h 49 min · 21/09/2027 (Tue)
- Aparahna to 2 h 26 min · 21/09/2027 (Tue)
Rule applied: Smarta — The tithi covers the required time on this day only.
About Shashthi Shraddha
Significance
Shashthi Shraddha is for those who died on a Shashthi, the sixth tithi, in either fortnight; there is no special category of the departed for this day. The Mahabharata’s tithi list (Anushasana Parva, Section 87) associates the sixth day with splendour, and the Brahma Purana’s list with being honoured by the world.
The Shashthi of this fortnight has one distinctive classical association, Kapila Shashthi. Dharma Sindhu describes Bhadrapada Krishna Shashthi falling on a Tuesday with Rohini nakshatra as a rare and highly meritorious combination, made still more so when the Sun is in Hasta, and lists Kapila Shashthi among the occasions for a Shraddha. The full combination is uncommon and does not occur every year.
How and where it is observed
Shashthi is one of the Nanda tithis (with Pratipada and Ekadashi), and Dharma Sindhu advises that a person who performs the Mahalaya only once, on a day other than the death tithi, should avoid these tithis, along with Chaturdashi and Fridays; the restriction does not apply when Shashthi is the parent’s own death tithi. Dharma Sindhu also allows Shashthi as a day from which a shortened Mahalaya may begin and continue to Amavasya.
Rituals
For Shashthi ancestors the Shraddha follows the usual Mahalaya order: brahmana-bhojana, pinda-dana and tarpana, with food placed for the cow, crow and dog. In years of Kapila Shashthi, Dharma Sindhu also describes a Surya-vrata with a fast, worship of the Sun and the gift of a tawny (kapila) cow; this is rarely kept in full today, and most families simply perform the Shraddha for their Shashthi ancestors.
How the date is fixed
The date is Bhadrapada Krishna Shashthi (Amanta), or Ashvina Krishna Shashthi (Purnimanta), on the day Shashthi holds the afternoon Aparahna. This page gives the tithi date only; whether that day is also a Kapila Shashthi depends on the weekday, the Moon’s nakshatra and the Sun’s nakshatra, which can be checked in the daily Panchang for that date.
Sources
- Dharma Sindhu, Dwitiya Pariccheda, Bhadrapada: Mahalaya Paksha, Proshthapadi, Bharani, Magha-Trayodashi, Shastrahata Chaturdashi and Kapila Shashthi (English condensation: V.D.N. Rao, Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 7)
- Dharma Sindhu, Tritiya Pariccheda, Shraddha-prakarana (English condensation: V.D.N. Rao, Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 26)
- Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Section 87 (K.M. Ganguli translation): Bhishma on Shraddha and the result of each lunar day
- Brahma Purana, Shraddha-kalpa: tithi-wise list for the fortnight when the Sun is in Kanya (as summarised in Essence of Dharma Sindhu, ch. 7)
Customs differ between regions, communities and families; this description is background, not a prescription. The date above is calculated by the rule shown on this page.
How the date is determined
- In the Amanta system (months end at the new moon) this is Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha Shashthi; in the Purnimanta system used in most of North India (months end at the full moon) the same day is called Ashwin Krishna Paksha Shashthi.
- It falls on the day when this tithi prevails during Aparahna — the fourth fifth of the daytime, in the afternoon.
- If the tithi prevails at that time on two consecutive days, the day on which it covers more of that period is taken.
- If the tithi does not touch that period on any day (a kshaya tithi), the Hindu day on which the tithi prevails longest is used.
- In a year with an Adhik month of the same name, it is observed in the regular (Nija) month.
- Shraddha is performed in the afternoon: the tithi is chosen by its presence in Aparahna, and the Kutup, Rohina and Aparahna windows of that day are shown.
Traditional variation
This is the date given by the rule shown above for the selected place. It is not the only valid date: regional Panchangs, family customs and sampradayas may observe it on a different day.
Rule source: Shraddha tithi determined by Aparahna vyapti (Nirnaya Sindhu)
Traditions may vary by region and Panchang convention. Times are shown for the selected place, time zone and calculation profile.
Calculated with engine 1.4.2 · rules rules-2026-10-21-2ab12b5d · profile north-lahiri-calibrated v1 · ayanamsa lahiri_drik_compat · astronomy-engine@2.1.19 · America/Los_Angeles
Dates in 2026
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/10/2026 (Thu)
Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Shashthi: to |
|
Standard rule applied |
Dates in 2027
| Date | Defining tithi / moment | Time windows | Decision notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/09/2027 (Tue)
Next
Bhadrapada Krishna Paksha (Amanta) · Ashwin Krishna Paksha (Purnimanta) |
Krishna Paksha Shashthi: to |
|
Standard rule applied |