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What’s ‘Shraddh’ Got to Do With An Army Surgical Strike? Nothing! 

MNS chief Raj Thackeray wasn’t the only one who noticed that the surgical strike occurred during ‘pitru paksh’.

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MNS chief Raj Thackeray had an interesting response to India carrying out surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday night.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian jawans have undertaken the shraddh (last rites) of Pakistan during pitru paksh (a period in the Hindu calendar). I congratulate the PM, the defence minister and our jawans.
Raj Thackeray, President, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

And he wasn’t the only one who noticed that a surgical strike occurred during ‘pitru paksh’, a 16-day period on the Hindu calendar during which it is forbidden to start anything new or ‘auspicious’.

But what is ‘pitru paksh’ and what does ‘shraddh’ signify? And what does a precise and planned military operation have to with it? Has the Army, gasp, erred with its timing?

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What is ‘Shraddh’? And why is ‘Pitru Paksh’ Important for Hindus?

According to the Hindu calendar, ‘pitru paksh’ is the time when the souls of the departed ancestors descend to Earth. Similar to the Christian period of abstinence observed during Lent, it is recommended that certain activities be avoided during this period, like buying clothes, getting married or anything which might be a ‘new beginning’.

But surprise, surprise! It doesn’t mention anything about a military strike. Although as it turns out, businesses in India take this period very seriously.

In August, telecom companies including Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone asked the government to postpone the spectrum auction since it was falling during the ‘shraddh.’ And not just telecom companies, most consumer good companies don’t launch a new product during this period.
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Karna’s Redemption

‘Shraddh’ is a ritual of donation of food and water which is performed to liberate the soul from the cycle of earthly desires. Mythologically, the ritual finds its roots in the Mahabharata.

In the Mahabharata, Karna is written as a charitable and kind character who donated gold and money to the underprivileged throughout his life. But as the story goes, when he died and went to heaven, he was deprived of food and water. Instead, he was given a feast of gold and jewels.

When he asked Indra about this, he was told that Karna had never donated food and water to his ancestors. In reply, Karna said that he was unaware of his ancestors and he should be allowed to go back to earth for redemption. So, ‘shraddh’ is a ritual of charity which is seen as an avowal of material desires.

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But, Surgical Strikes Don’t Care for Religious Rituals, Thank God

But is a military strike allowed during ‘shraddh’?

Doesn’t matter, honestly.

According to the Director General Military Operations, the strike which was carried out on Wednesday night was done based on specific and credible information. The strike was carried out on a moonless night, to prevent detection of the soldiers, and caused ‘significant casualties’. It attacked specific terror pads which were in the range of 2 to 3 km from the LoC.

While the fact that a military strike occurred during the religious Hindu month of ritual which lends itself well to memes and jokes, a strike isn’t decided by religious calendars.

And thank god for that.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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Topics:  Surgical Strike   Uri Attack 

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