These days of Pitṛ Pakṣa We're talking a lot about our ancestors, our maternal and paternal lineages, what we inherit through our family, and what we can transform through our own lives.

And it means a great deal to me to have been in Prabhupāda Deśa, along with my teacher. Because this morning a thought occurred to me: in reality, when we seriously embark on a spiritual journey, a third path is added to the two paths of our ancestors.

We are usually the meeting place for two great lineages. On one side is our mother, and behind her, her parents, their parents, and so on. On the other side is our father and the entire lineage that precedes him. Through these two streams, we receive our body, our genetic heritage, part of our psychological makeup, and that particular family history within which we find ourselves living. In Jyotiṣa, we also examine this inheritance through the divisional charts linked to the maternal and paternal lines.

But when we encounter a genuine spiritual path, something different happens. We enter a paramparā, a line of discipleship.

There is our teacher. Behind him is his teacher. Behind his teacher is his teacher’s teacher. And as we continue to trace the line back, we find a true spiritual lineage, made up of people who received a certain knowledge, put it into practice in their own lives, and then passed it on to the next generation.

The moment when we are formally welcomed into this line is traditionally linked to the dīkṣā, spiritual initiation. From that moment on, the guru also takes on the role of a spiritual father or mother. And, if we want to use the image of the family tree that we are contemplating during Pitṛ Pakṣa, then suddenly we also have spiritual grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents: the teachers who preceded our teacher in the paramparā.

I like to think of this as our third ancestral line.

The first two lines have passed something down to us through the body: DNA, a family, a culture, predispositions, blessings, and even a specific karmic scenario. The spiritual line, on the other hand, passes down something that is not transmitted through the blood: knowledge.

Guru after guru, disciple after disciple, something is preserved and passed on.

And this difference is beautiful. Material forms allow us to enter the world and experience our karma. The paramparā, on the other hand, provides us with the tools to to understand who we are beyond that karma and, little by little, free ourselves from the identifications that bind us to it.

That is why being here during Pitṛ Pakṣa, close to my teacher, allows me to view the theme of ancestors from a slightly different perspective. I can look back on my father, my mother, my grandparents, and all the generations that have enabled me to receive this body. But I can also look toward another lineage: that of the teachers through whom I have received knowledge that does not come from my biological family.

And we need both.

From our family lines, we receive the vehicle with which to journey through this life. From the spiritual line, we receive guidance on how to use it.

During these final days of Pitṛ Pakṣa, we can therefore continue the work we have begun: remembering our ancestors, thanking those who are still with us, and offering Svadhā to those who have passed away, and to reflect on what has been passed down to us through our family.

But we can also take a few minutes to pause and remember our spiritual ancestors: our teacher, our teacher’s teacher, and all those who, through a very long chain, have ensured that this teaching has reached us.

One line gave us our bodies; the other reminds us that We are not the body. And both work in synergy to make us well-rounded individuals. In fact, it is perhaps precisely in the intersection of these two realities that we find an important part of our journey—one that allows us to rediscover ourselves.

I'd also like to remind you of the two resources that can complement this project.

Pitṛ Pakṣa · The 15 Days of the Ancestors | Family Karma, Jyotiṣa, and the Svadhā Mantra

And the meditation we’ve been practicing together these past few days, in which we systematically retrace Seven generations of our family tree, offering Svadhā and the Mahā Mantra:

Meditation for the Ancestors · 7 Generations, Svadhā, and the Mahā Mantra | Pitṛ Pakṣa

Let's continue, if we can, to practice it until Sarva Pitṛ Amāvasyā on October 10.

Svadhā · Svadhā · Svadhā