Shraddha on 10th tithi; performed for ancestors who died on Dashami

Dashami Shraddha is the ancestral rite of Pitrupaksha performed on the Dashami tithi, the tenth lunar day of the dark fortnight of Ashwin, for forebears who departed on a Dashami of any month. As the fortnight moves towards its close, the rites grow in intensity, culminating in Sarva Pitru Amavasya. The karta bathes, takes the sankalp with the sacred thread worn to the right, and in the aparahna offers tarpan of water and black sesame through kusha grass, pinda of cooked rice, and a satvik meal to brahmins, setting aside the shares of the cow, crow, dog and fire. Scriptures describe shraddha as the one duty that reaches the departed wherever they are — whether in Pitruloka, reborn, or liberated — carried by the Vishvedevas and the Pitru deities. Offering it with shraddha, genuine faith, is what gives the rite its name and its power; even a simple offering of water, sesame and a sincere prayer made on the correct tithi is held to satisfy the ancestors.

The karta observes satvik purity; food is eaten only after it has been offered to the ancestors and brahmins.