
Notes: All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Lancaster, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable).
Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise.
Shashthi Shraddha is done for those deceased family members who died on Shashthi Tithi, including both Shukla and Krishna Paksha Shashthi.
Shashthi Shraddha is also known as Chhath Shraddha.
Pitru Paksha Shraddhas are Parvan Shraddhas (पार्वण श्राद्ध) and auspicious time to perform them is either Kutup Muhurat and Rohina etc. Muhurat after that till Aparahna Kala gets over. Tarpan (तर्पण) is done at the end of the Shraddha.
Shashthi Shraddha is a Tithi-based Shraddha performed on the sixth day of the Pitru Paksha. According to the rules prescribed in Hindu scriptures, the Shraddha should be performed on the same Tithi on which the ancestor passed away. Performing Shraddha in Pitru Paksha as per the exact Tithi ensures peace, liberation and blessings for the departed soul.
Texts like Garuda Purana, Manu Smriti and Dharma Sindhu clearly state that Shraddha dedicated to the ancestors should be performed during Pitru Paksha in accordance with the date of their demise. When done properly, the benefits of Pinda Daan, Tarpan and other Shraddha rites reach the specific ancestor for whom the ritual is intended.
If the date of death of an ancestor is unknown, then Shraddha may be performed on Sarva Pitru Amavasya, which is considered a collective offering day for all ancestors, including those who passed away on the Shashthi Tithi. Shashthi Shraddha, as a religious duty, is not merely a tradition, but an expression of refined values, faith and familial responsibility, which binds the living with their ancestors and serves as a means of attaining their blessings.