Swapna Dutta, my Mother: Chapter Four, Part II

According to the customs of Sanātana Dharma (Hinduism), Ghāṭkāj is an important part of a person's Śrāddha ceremony. Generally, Ghāṭkāj is performed just before the Ādya Śrāddha (the first Śrāddha after the mourning period). In most cases, it takes place the day before the Śrāddha, though sometimes early on the day itself. Since the day of Śrāddha is usually very busy, performing Ghāṭkāj the day before is more common and in line with scripture. Ghāṭkāj is the opening segment of the Śrāddha, marking the formal beginning of the ceremony.

For my Mother, Ghāṭkāj was performed on Thursday, 7 August 2025 (Bengali calendar: 21 Śrāvaṇa 1432).

My Mother, in front of the Mother's Temple at Jayrambati;
Photo taken on 13 January 2020.
Sarada Devi, spiritual consort of Ramakrishna, was born in this village in 1853.

Ghāṭkāj — The Name and Location

The term Ghāṭkāj comes from the fact that this ritual is performed on the bank (ghāṭ) of a river or pond.

Human civilisation has always been closely tied to rivers. For thousands of years, settlements have flourished along riverbanks — be it the Ganges, Kaveri, Titas, Mahananda, or Gangur. Or elsewhere in the world, rivers like the Mississippi, Tigris–Euphrates, Huang He, or the vast Volga have shaped cultures. Human life — personal, collective, social, and cultural — has grown intertwined with the flow of rivers.

Due to this deep connection, Ghāṭkāj is traditionally performed on the bank of a region's major river. If no river is available nearby, it may be conducted on the bank of a pond, lake, or any large, clean body of water.

Ghāṭśrāddha is known by several other names, each reflecting a different aspect or ritual detail of the ceremony.

1. Ghāṭśrāddha: Named so because the Śrāddha takes place on the bank of a river or pond.
2. Ghāṭpiṇḍadāna: Commonly used since the main spot for offering piṇḍas (rice balls) is the ghāṭ.
3. Pūraka piṇḍadāna: The pūraka piṇḍa given this day is not food for the departed but aids in forming their subtle post-death body.
4. Jala–śrāddha: Called this as the ritual involves direct contact with water (Jala).
5. Tarpana Śraddha: Alongside piṇḍadāna at the ghāṭ, sesame seed offerings (tilatarpaṇa) are made; priests often call this Tarpana Śrāddha.
6. Aśaucamocana Śraddha: Ghāṭkāj marks the end of the impurity period (aśauca-kāla), so the ceremony is known by this name too. Practices vary — some end the rituals on Ghāṭkāj day, others extend observance for one or two days after Śrāddha, avoiding premature rule-breaking.

Photo taken from the northern ghāt of Viveknagar Jheel. 
Here my Mother's Ghāṭśrāddha ceremony was performed.

Pūraka Piṇḍa

On the day of Ghāṭkāj, pūraka piṇḍa offerings are made. After the physical body formed of the five elements is cremated or buried and returned to nature, these piṇḍas help form the subtle body needed for the soul's long journey beyond death.

The ten piṇḍas offered during the first ten days of the aśauca period after death are called pūraka piṇḍas. On the day of Ghāṭkāj, these ten are reconstructed and dedicated.

Usually, eleven piṇḍas are offered on this day— ten for the deceased and one for the crow, considered the vehicle of Yama, the god of death, assisting the soul on its journey. Each of these ten piṇḍas corresponds to a different part of the subtle body, which together construct the full subtle body.

1. First piṇḍa: Head;
2. Second: Shoulders and arms;
3. Third: Chest and throat;
4. Fourth: Back;
5. Fifth: Navel and abdomen;
6. Sixth: Waist;
7. Seventh: Hips and reproductive organs;
8. Eighth: Thighs;
9. Ninth: Knees;
10. Tenth: Feet.

You might ask, if these piṇḍas construct the subtle body, then what about the mind, intellect, and ego? Where are the piṇḍas for them? The answer is that these do not require reconstruction, as they are indestructible and eternal.

In Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna clearly speaks of the soul's immortality. Other scriptures of Sanātana Dharma also consider the soul imperishable.

A few days before my Mother's Śrāddha ceremony, I spoke with my Mother's uncle, Shri Swapan Kumar Bhattacharyya. He is a highly learned man. He explained the Sanātana (Hindu) perspective on this subject to me clearly and thoughtfully. When a person dies, their body perishes, returning to the five elements through cremation or burial. But the soul does not perish, it leaves the body immediately upon death. The mind, intellect, and ego accompany the soul. These do not die and hence need no rebuilding. Through pūraka piṇḍadāna, only the subtle body is formed.

The Ghāṭkāj Ceremony — 7 August 2025

My Mother, Swapna Dutta, passed away on Sunday, 27 July 2025 (Bengali calendar: 10 Śrāvaṇa 1432). Ghāṭkāj for her was performed on Thursday, 7 August 2025 (21 Śrāvaṇa 1432) at Viveknagar Jheel, Jadavpur, Kolkata.

The priest Shri Papan Chakraborty oversaw the Ghāṭśrāddha ceremony. He is a priest of the Viveknagar Kali Temple, the same temple where the main Śrāddha ceremony was held the next day, Shri Subhabrata Bhattacharyya was present with me during this ceremony.

At around 8:40 am, the ceremony started on the northern bank of Viveknagar Jheel. The sky was clear, and the weather mildly warm.

Āsana Śuddhi (Purification of the Seat)

First, the seat (āsana) was purified—cleansing the place where the ritual was to be performed. Purity of place and environment is vital for spiritual and religious rites. The priest recited mantras to sanctify the site. At that moment, a solemn resolve was made that the work served a sacred purpose and that no external disturbance would be tolerated.

Prāyaścitta (Repentance)

After purifying the seat, the next step was prāyaścitta (repentance). Its main purpose was to express remorse and seek forgiveness from God if any mistake or fault had been committed during the impurity period by oneself or family members, or if there had been a lack of sincerity or focus.

Though discussion of God or belief systems falls outside this chapter's scope, I understand that seeking forgiveness from God for faults essentially means a person expresses genuine remorse within their own conscience or subconscious mind. Religions often teach that God dwells in the human heart; therefore, prāyaścitta also signifies inward regret and a sincere vow before the all-knowing divine not to repeat past errors.

The priest led the repentance mantras and resolutions accordingly.

Piṇḍa making in progress during the Ghāṭkāj ceremony.

Piṇḍadāna Ritual

Next, invoking Lord Vishnu, the offering of piṇḍas began—this was the main part of Ghāṭśrāddha. We prepared eleven small rice balls using parched rice, sesame seeds, banana, and sweets (sandesh). Some people adds ghee, honey, or barley flour based on their traditions, but for my Mother's ceremony, we did not.

Sanskrit: "ॐ विष्णु। ॐ विष्णु। ॐ विष्णु। (or, नमोः विष्णु, नमोः विष्णु, नमोः विष्णु)। 

ॐ।अद्य कृष्णपक्षे श्रावणमासस्य एकविंशतितमे दिने, गुरुवासरे, अहं विष्णोः चरणयोः स्थित्वा मम गोत्रं शाण्डिल्यमिति, मम नाम टिटो दत्त इति उच्चारयामि। शाण्डिल्यगोत्रजा माता स्वप्ना दत्तायाः प्रेतत्वमोक्षार्थं तस्याः श्राद्धनिमित्तं च, विवेकनगरझिलतटे तस्याः पितृलोकप्राप्तये अस्य श्राद्धकर्माङ्गभूतं घाटकार्यं अहं सम्पादयामि।"

Translation: "ॐ (Om) Vishnu. ॐ Vishnu. ॐ Vishnu. (or Namah Vishnu, Namah Vishnu, Namah Vishnu.) 

On this Krishna Paksha, 21st day of Śrāvaṇa month, Thursday, I am taking refuge at the feet of Vishnu. My gotra is Shāṇḍilya, and my name is Tito Dutta. For the liberation of my Mother Swapna Dutta, born in the Shāṇḍilya gotra, and on the occasion of her Śrāddha, I am performing this Ghāṭkāj ceremony at Viveknagar Jheel for her soul's peaceful journey to the other world."

With this declaration, the piṇḍadāna began, accompanied by various mantras including the Sūrya Namaskāra mantra (Sun salutation) and Gayatri mantra. Eleven piṇḍas were offered. Each piṇḍa was dedicated with a mantra, for example:

1. ॐ। शाण्डिल्यगोत्रस्य मातुः स्वप्ना दत्तायाः एष ते मस्तकरूपः पिण्डः स्वाहा। (Translation: ॐ. This piṇḍa is dedicated to my Mother, Swapna Dutta, of the Shāṇḍilya gotra, for the construction of her subtle head in the afterlife.)
2. ॐ। शाण्डिल्यगोत्रस्य मातुः स्वप्ना दत्तायाः एष ते स्कन्धबाहुरूपः पिण्डः स्वाहा। (Translation: ॐ. This piṇḍa is dedicated to my Mother, Swapna Dutta, of the Shāṇḍilya gotra, for the formation of her shoulders and arms in the subtle body.)
3. ॐ। शाण्डिल्यगोत्रस्य मातुः स्वप्ना दत्तायाः एष ते बक्षःकण्ठरूपः पिण्डः स्वाहा। (Translation: ॐ. This piṇḍa is dedicated to my Mother, Swapna Dutta, of the Shāṇḍilya gotra, for the creation of her chest and throat in the subtle body.)

Similarly, other piṇḍas were dedicated. The eleventh piṇḍa was dedicated to the crow:

• ॐ यमाय नमः। ॐ काकाय नमः। एष पिण्डः काकाय स्वाहा। (Translation: Om. Salutations to Yama. Om. Salutations to the crow. This piṇḍa is offered to the crow.)

Conclusion of Ghāṭkāj

After piṇḍadāna, prayers were offered to Vishnu, Shiva, and Yama, concluding the day's Ghāṭkāj.

The entire ceremony took about 50 minutes. Afterwards, we went to a local salon for kṣaurakārya (tonsure, shaving ceremony); the barber had been informed in advance. By around 10:30 am, the day's rites were completed.

With that, the second part of the fourth chapter comes to a close.

Charaiveti.

স্বপ্না দত্ত, আমার মা (Swapna Dutta, my Mother)

• ● বাংলায় পড়ুন: প্রথম অধ্যায়, দ্বিতীয় অধ্যায়, তৃতীয় অধ্যায় (সংযোজন), চতুর্থ অধ্যায় (প্রথম পরিচ্ছেদ, দ্বিতীয় পরিচ্ছেদ, তৃতীয় পরিচ্ছেদ), পঞ্চম অধ্যায়, ষষ্ঠ অধ্যায়, সপ্তম অধ্যায় (প্রথম পরিচ্ছেদ)
• ● Read in English: First Chapter, Second Chapter, Third Chapter (Addendum), Fourth Chapter (Part I, Part II, Part III), Fifth Chapter, Sixth Chapter, Seventh Chapter (Part I)

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