Pitṛ-tīrtha
Pitṛ-tīrtha · pitṛ-tīrtha, “the tīrtha of the pitṛs on the hand”
Grammar: neuter noun; a compound of pitṛ (the fathers, the departed ancestors) and tīrtha (a sacred crossing, here a sacred part of the hand): “the tīrtha of the pitṛs”.
Meaning: the part of the right hand between the index finger and the thumb, through which water and other offerings are given to the pitṛs.
In the scriptures: in his teaching on sadācāra, right conduct, Vyāsa tells the munis of the tīrthas of the hand, each kept for its own rite:
- Brāhma tīrtha: the line on the north side of the right thumb, the tīrtha for ācamana.
- Pitṛ tīrtha: the part between the index finger (tarjanī) and the thumb. Tarpaṇa and the other rites for the pitṛs are done through this tīrtha, in every rite except the nāndīmukha.
- Daiva tīrtha: the tips of the fingers, for tarpaṇa and the other rites to the devas.
- Prajāpati tīrtha: the root of the little finger, for the rites to Prajāpati.
Vyāsa sums it up: ācamana is best at the brāhma tīrtha, the rites to the pitṛs at the pitṛ tīrtha, the rites to the devas at the deva tīrtha, and for Prajāpati, and the piṇḍa, tarpaṇa and other offerings to the nāndīmukha devatās, at the prājāpatya tīrtha (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 221).
Related terms: Brāhma tīrtha · Daiva tīrtha · Prājāpatya tīrtha · Tarpaṇa · Pitṛ · Nāndīmukha
Other meanings
Pitṛ-tīrtha has more than one meaning in the Purāṇas and Itihāsas. Besides the meaning above, it names those listed here, each with where it is told.
- Pitṛtīrtha of Rāma (Gautamī): a tīrtha on the Gautamī south of Pāpapraṇāśana, where Śrī Rāma with Sītā offered tarpaṇa to his pitṛs. Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 23
- Pitṛtīrtha of Cakreśvara (Gautamī): a tīrtha on the Gautamī that came forth from Cakreśvara, where the bones of Dadhīci became sacred; it delights the pitṛs. Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 40
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 221