Pt. Shri. Pranesh Achar
Tharpanam
Generally, on every Sankramana (solar transit day), Tarpana (ancestral offering) should be performed without fail.
However, when Sankramana falls on Ekadashi, a common doubt arises:
Should Tarpana be avoided because it is Ekadashi?
For this doubt, we get a clear answer from the Smriti texts.
In the Varaha Purana, in the Chaturmasya Mahatmya, 9th Adhyaya, Lord Varaha gives this instruction:
If Sankramana or Vaidhruti Yoga falls on Ekadashi, then on that Ekadashi day, one should perform:
Pavamana Sukta Parayana
Pitru Sukta Parayana (as prescribed in one’s own Shakha)
The actual Tarpana should then be performed on the Dwadashi day.
Thus, when Ekadashi coincides with Sankramana or Vaidhruti Yoga, scriptural permission is given to shift the Tarpana to Dwadashi, while observing the prescribed Sukta chanting on Ekadashi.
