Pitri Paksha: A Sacred Bridge to Your Origins
Heal your ancestral karma and receive the blessings of three generations of ancestors through ancient Vedic rituals at the sacred Devraha Baba Ashram — or from anywhere in the world.
15 Days of Working with Your Lineage
Discover the power of Vedic traditions — from rituals on the sacred Yamuna to the divine darshan of Gurudev, a truly enlightened Master. This is a time of personal endeavour and deep inner work that changes destiny for generations to come. You will learn to build a subtle relationship with your ancestors and become a channel for healing your entire lineage!
The Power of Your Lineage.
Neutralise negative lineage karma and Pitri Dosha (the debt to your ancestors) that hinder your fulfilment, inner harmony, building a family, having children and more.
Why This Period Matters
Pitri Paksha is a unique "window" in the Vedic calendar, when the boundaries between the earthly world and the world of our ancestors grow thin.
During this time, from the Full Moon to Kartik Amavasya (the New Moon), the ancestors leave their celestial abode, Pitri Loka, and descend to Earth into the homes of their descendants. They remain here for 15–16 days to hear your prayers and accept your offerings, after which they return to their abode.
The key secret of the programme is that satisfying our ancestors is inseparably linked with the worship of Lord Narayana — the Supreme Ancestor and Father of the Universe. Like watering the root of a tree, the Vedic rituals of this period nourish your entire lineage at once.
For practitioners, this is a time to free yourself from invisible bonds and cleanse the karma tied to ancestral debts. If you feel you are living out "someone else's script" (illnesses, losses, the hard fates of ancestors), Pitri Paksha is the best time to rewrite these patterns and reclaim the power of your lineage.
Who Is This Programme For?
The Pitri Paksha programme is meant both for those who wish to strengthen the bond with their roots and for those facing serious life difficulties caused by the influence of ancestral karma.
The main goal of the programme is to help those whose ancestors are unsatisfied or "wander" in search of peace — transforming their influence from a source of problems into a source of powerful support and blessing.
Signs of Ancestral Karma at Work
Ancestral patterns exert an invisible yet decisive influence on us. This practice is worth your attention if you recognise yourself in the points below:
Recurring scenarios
Events, professions or hard fates repeat across three generations.
Hereditary ailments
Chronic illnesses or physiological anomalies appearing among family members.
Difficulty continuing the lineage
Recurring miscarriages, infertility or the early death of children.
Abortions
If there were abortions across three generations.
Signs in dreams
Recurring dreams featuring deceased relatives.
Astrological factors
Birth at midnight, or in the 6th, 7th, 8th or 10th month of pregnancy.
Physical markers
An abundance of moles, freckles or pigment spots on the body from birth.
Family discord
Constant conflict at home and the feeling that you are living a life that is not your own.
A heavy history
the presence in the lineage of murders, genocide, curses or cases of black magic.
A sense of deadlock
an inability to build harmonious relationships, problems with health or finances, or an inability to realise your purpose because of the "invisible bonds" of the past.
Pitri Dosha
an ancestral "curse" or negative influence of ancestors' karma that manifests in the lives of descendants. It arises in a person's horoscope when they do not honour their ancestors, do not give them due attention and do not perform the prescribed rituals.
The Main Programme
Rituals
Morning rituals on the banks of the Yamuna:
- Tarpana and Marjana — daily rituals of water offering and purification for the ancestors
- Pinda-dana — the offering of special rice balls (pindas) symbolising food for the souls of the departed.
Evening rituals:
- Fire Yagya — daily evening fire offerings performed with the recitation of the Vishnu Divya Sahasranama throughout all 15 days of the programme.
The brahmins at the ashram recite a set of sacred texts each day to purify ancestral karma:
- Vishnu Sahasranama and Vishnu Divya Sahasranama.
- Vishnu Stotram, Vishnu Satnam and Vishnu Ashtak.
- Sankat Nashan Vishnu Stotram.
- Gajendra Moksha Stotra
- Sapta-shloki Gita, Ek-shloki Ramayana and Chatushloki Bhagavat.
- Vishnu Kavach and Pitri Sukta.
Personal Practice
By Guruji's instruction, every participant will be given the practice of a special mantra for working with the lineage.
Satsangs and Lectures
- Two Satsangs with Guruji, with the chance to ask questions of an enlightened Master
- (this is the minimum number of Satsangs; more may be held)
Programme cost at the Ashram: 51,000 ₹
*programme only, accommodation is separate
Life will never be the same again!
The possibilities Pitri Paksha opens
Liberation from ancestral debts
The practices cleanse the karma tied to debts to the lineage and free you from ancestral karma that can hold back your potential and diminish your quality of life.
Neutralising Pitri Dosha
Taking part in the rituals helps soften the unfavourable influence of the "ancestral curse" (Pitri Dosha).
Spiritual growth
Performing the prescribed actions supports personal spiritual progress and grants protection.
Healing ancestral patterns
Participants gain the ability to recognise and heal distortions inherited from the lineage, to "rewrite" heavy patterns and reclaim their power — to live their own life rather than repeat the fates of their ancestors.
Receiving blessings
Participants receive the blessings of their ancestors for a good life, abundance and prosperity.
Energy to fulfil your wishes
Ancestral practices provide additional energy and support for accomplishing life's tasks and reaching your goals.
Family happiness
Finding harmony in relationships and family, as well as meeting a worthy spouse.
Having children
Help in overcoming infertility and the birth of a child.
Prosperity
Growth in material wellbeing and freedom from want.
Health and purpose
Help in gaining health and revealing your true purpose.
The grace of Lord Narayana
Since Lord Narayana is the primordial ancestor of all beings ("Mula-pitri"), performing rituals for the ancestors brings satisfaction to the Lord Himself. When the ancestors and the Lord are satisfied and rejoice, the participant too gains inner fulfilment, peace and joy.
Sacred knowledge and skills
Participants receive valuable knowledge, prayers and mantras that stay with them forever and aid their further independent spiritual work.
The result of the practice is a complete transformation of life — through harmonising your relationship with the past, receiving the protection of your lineage, and finding peace both outwardly and within.
What our participants say
Gauri
Pitri Paksha 2022
A life transformed
My life changed completely — I restored the bond with my ancestors, connected with the power of my lineage, found my purpose, and now I live my best life.
Akakiy
Pitri Paksha 2023
Peace for a relative's soul
For many years I was tormented by the spirit of my grandmother, who had taken her own life. At night she came to me and frightened me, and in the evenings she knocked on the walls and creaked her false teeth by my ear. I developed a mental disorder and my family fell apart. After the practice, Grandmother found peace and has not troubled me for 3 years now. I restored my mental health, gained a new education and even found my life partner! Thank you!
Suzanna
Pitri Paksha 2025
The long-awaited child
I knew that my lineage held many abortions and infanticides — girls in my family were done away with, and I survived by sheer chance. All my life I dreamed of a child, to give it the love I never received and to change the family script, but every pregnancy ended in grief and loss: stillbirth, premature births, or simply the inability to conceive. A witch I knew told me I carried an ancestral curse and was doomed. And then suddenly I was invited to India for the programme, and my life turned 180 degrees. I immersed myself so deeply in the rituals and personal prayers that I lived through a total transformation and a transcendent experience. By the end of the programme I was 100% freed from the ancestral curse — I felt it with my whole being. But the most incredible miracle came soon after. A month after the programme I became pregnant, and nine months later I gave birth to a healthy, strong son!
Devraha Baba Ashram
We hold the Pitri Paksha programme at our Ashram — a sacred place of power on the banks of the Yamuna, directly across from Krishna's ancient city of Vrindavan. This place has become a "magnet" for seekers of Truth from all over the world, for it was here that the Great Master, Shri Devraha Baba, lived for many years and entered Mahasamadhi. Every ceremony and ritual will be performed for you by highly qualified hereditary brahmins, keepers of the Vedic tradition. They will conduct each ceremony in its full and most auspicious form, so that participants may receive the greatest blessing, purification and spiritual result.
Our Guruji — Shri Dev Das Ji Maharaj
Shri Dev Das Ji Maharaj is a realised Master and the direct successor of the legendary saint Devraha Baba. Following the precepts of his Teacher, Guruji brings the light of ancient knowledge to the world. Guruji gives divine darshan, diksha, healing and relief to all who come to him with an open heart, helping each person find answers to their most intimate questions and attain inner joy.
You will stay in a true sanctuary — the Devraha Baba Ashram in Vrindavan — an "oasis" with vast green grounds, temples and a gaushala, blossoming beautiful gardens and a great variety of singing birds. Daily services are held at the ashram. Here live monks, brahmins and ashram attendants (sevaks), and it is also the permanent home of our Guruji.
For guests we provide modest, comfortable rooms in a shared building, each with a private bathroom. A choice of room is available (by size and the presence of air conditioning). Wi-Fi is available in the rooms. You look after the cleaning of your own room.
Rules of stay at the Ashram
The Ashram is our home — a place where, stepping away from worldly cares, we fill with harmony and calm, focus on spiritual practice and service, and keep purity of body, speech and mind. This is a special place. Devraha Baba spent many years here before entering Mahasamadhi. Sadhus live and practise here, and many pilgrims come to pay their respects to this sacred place, to Baba and to Guruji. It is important to understand this and to avoid drawing attention with bright make-up, strong scents or revealing clothing.
Vaishnava rules and shaucha (purity)
- The day begins with bathing. Before yagyas, rituals and arti it is also recommended to shower and put on clean clothes.
- Wearing leather clothing is prohibited.
- Eating and drinking in the temple or the yagya hall is not allowed.
- Before entering the temple or kitchen, remove your shoes, wash your hands and rinse your mouth.
- Personal cleanliness, as well as cleanliness of body, mind and clothing, must be maintained at all times.
Kitchen rules (bhandara)
- All food at the ashram is considered prasad, so the following rules apply:
- According to the principles of shaucha, food should be taken with the right hand.
- Do not enter the kitchen storerooms or take prasad yourself — it is served with love by the kitchen staff.
- All dishes must be washed after use.
- Food must not be thrown away — it must be treated with respect.
Sleeping quarters and rooms
- Keep clean and tidy, as in your own home.
- Observe silence in the building and rooms, especially in the morning, at night and in the evening. People come to the ashram for sadhana, spiritual discipline and inner silence — respect this.
- Dry clothes only in the designated areas.
- Turn off the lights when leaving the room and switch off electrical appliances.
- Treat the ashram's property with care.
Conditions of stay
- The ashram gates close at 20:00. If you go into town, you must return before this time.
- Alcohol, tobacco, narcotics, meat, eggs, foul language and public displays of affection are strictly prohibited. Being intoxicated is unacceptable.
- All devotees and sevaks must attend the morning and evening aarti.
- Everyone must take part in service (seva).
- A contribution to the gaushala is obligatory — it is a sacred service.
- Residents must follow the ashram's routine and cooperate with its attendants.
Rules for women
- During menstruation, women may not enter the temple or take part in rituals. This time is meant for rest, purification and inner practice.
- According to Vedic norms, the chest and hips must be covered by two layers of clothing. The head must be covered with a scarf, and the hair tied up or covered.
- Clothing must not be tight or transparent. Legs must be covered to the ankles and shoulders covered.
- Modesty and dignity in dress and behaviour are required.
Rules for men
- Spitting is strictly prohibited — the ashram grounds are sacred and must remain clean.
- Keep your distance from women and do not touch them. Regard every woman as a mother or sister. Avoid flirtation and observe boundaries.
- Respectful behaviour and self-discipline are expected.
In addition to the Pitri Paksha programme schedule, the Ashram has its own regular schedule of services and other events:
Morning
- 7:00
The first rituals for the ancestors on the Yamuna, at a special muhurta.
- 8:00
Baba Arti.
- 9:00
Breakfast.
Day
- 12:00
Practices for the ancestors in the Shiva Temple. The brahmins recite sacred texts dedicated to Vishnu for the liberation and relief of the souls of your ancestors. During this time you may be present in the temple and perform your personal practice.
- 13:00–14:30
Lunch.
- 15:00–18:00
Shrimad Bhagavat Katha. By a fortunate coincidence, on these dates Guruji will hold 7 days of recitation of the sacred Shrimad Bhagavatam, the hearing of which grants Atma Gyana (knowledge of the Soul) to you and your ancestors, after which they gain the possibility of complete liberation, Moksha. If you have time between the rituals, be sure to attend this katha!
Evening
- 16:00
The fire Yagya.
- 21:00
Satsang with Guruji.
Important
Before the programme begins, we will hold an organisational meeting with all participants, where we will explain in more detail the schedule, accommodation, rules and all the nuances of staying at the Ashram. We will also gather to tell you about the upcoming rituals and practices and to prepare for them.
I Want to Take Part!
Choose your format of participation:
Retreat
In-person presence at the Pitri Paksha programme at the Ashram
51,000 ₹
*programme only, accommodation not included
Online
The same programme, but remotely from anywhere in the world
11,000 ₹
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I take part if I cannot come to the Ashram?
[PLACEHOLDER] There is an online format for you: the same programme remotely. Your name is recited daily by the brahmins in the sankalpa, and we send links to the live broadcasts of rituals, satsangs and lectures, as well as recordings.
Do I need to know the names of all my ancestors?
[PLACEHOLDER] No. The names you know are enough; at the master class we will help you build a family tree and prepare a list.
What is the cost of accommodation at the Ashram?
[PLACEHOLDER] The programme cost does not include accommodation — it is paid separately. Room options and conditions are in the "Accommodation" section.
Can I take part if I am not a practitioner?
[PLACEHOLDER] Yes. The programme suits beginners too: what matters is your intention and engagement. All rituals are performed by the brahmins on your behalf.
What is Pitri Dosha and how do I know if I have it?
[PLACEHOLDER] Pitri Dosha is the negative influence of unsatisfied ancestral karma. The signs are in the "Who Is This Programme For" section.
Is it safe to travel to India at this time of year?
[PLACEHOLDER] Yes. We accompany participants, help with organisation and advise on all the nuances of the stay.