Milestone Birthdays (Shashtiabdapoorthi)

A hundred autumns prayed for, by name.

At sixty, at seventy, at eighty, the tradition pauses to celebrate a life in full: the shashtiabdapoorthi, the sathabhishekam, the thousand full moons seen. Adult children arrange it for their parents, which is exactly as it should be. This blessing counts the autumns with them, by name.

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The prayer at its heart

Word for word, the way it has always been said. Their name goes at its head, and your words travel with it. The Sanskrit never arrives alone: a transliteration, so anyone can say it aloud, and its meaning in plain English.

Paśyema Śaradaḥ Śatam: A Hundred Autumns

तच्चक्षुर्देवहितं पुरस्ताच्छुक्रमुच्चरत् । पश्येम शरदः शतं जीवेम शरदः शतं शृणुयाम शरदः शतं प्र ब्रवाम शरदः शतमदीनाः स्याम शरदः शतं भूयश्च शरदः शतात् ॥
tac cakṣur devahitaṁ purastāc chukram uccarat | paśyema śaradaḥ śataṁ jīvema śaradaḥ śataṁ śṛṇuyāma śaradaḥ śataṁ pra bravāma śaradaḥ śatam adīnāḥ syāma śaradaḥ śataṁ bhūyaś ca śaradaḥ śatāt ||
May we see a hundred autumns; may we live a hundred autumns. Recited at the sixtieth, seventieth and eightieth birthday rites, when a family gathers to count the autumns already seen and pray for the ones ahead.

Source: Śukla Yajurveda (Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā) 36.24; cf. Ṛg Veda 7.66.16 Reviewed by Pandit Arvind Narayan Shastri

See a finished Milestone Birthdays blessing, names and all → (an example family)

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Hear a Voiced sampleread by Asha

Asha is our digital host. Her voice is digitally produced, and she is not a priest. She reads the words Pandit Arvind has reviewed and blessed. More about Asha.

The prayer is the same in all three. What changes is how it arrives: on the page, in a voice, or spoken on film.

Written blessing$12.99with the keepsake art page, or $7.99 plain

Their name set at the head of the occasion’s prayer
Sanskrit, transliteration, and plain-English meaning, side by side
Your message and intention, in your words
The source named on the verse, so you can look it up

Delivered by email within the hour as a private page link, ready to read, print, or share.Our pickVoiced blessing$24.99+$12.00 over WrittenHearing the prayer read aloud, with the name said, is the difference.

Everything in the written blessing
A calm reading of the full prayer, your names spoken, in a warm digital voice
A line-by-line pronunciation guide to read along with
Made to be kept and replayed, whenever the family returns to it

The written page arrives within the hour; the private audio link follows by email within 24 hours. Asha's voice is digitally produced, which is how every name is said with care, fast.Video blessing$49.99+$25.00 over Voiced

Everything in the written and voiced blessings
A short film, about fifteen seconds: our host Asha reads the blessing aloud, warm and unhurried
Their name on screen at the moment it is spoken
Made for the family group chat, and for keeping

The written page arrives within the hour; the private video link follows by email within 48 hours. Asha and her voice are digitally produced, which is how it reaches you in days rather than weeks.

Preview

A blessing for …their name

tac cakṣur devahitaṁ purastāc chukram uccarat | paśyema śaradaḥ śataṁ jīvema śaradaḥ śataṁ śṛṇuyāma śaradaḥ śataṁ pra bravāma śaradaḥ śatam adīnāḥ syāma śaradaḥ śataṁ bhūyaś ca śaradaḥ śatāt ||…

Śukla Yajurveda (Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā) 36.24; cf. Ṛg Veda 7.66.16. The finished page carries the whole prayer, in Devanagari, with its meaning.

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When should it arrive?

As soon as it’s ready.On a date. It goes out on the morning you choose, the day it is meant for; your own copy is ready straight away.

May we compute your family’s festival + tithi calendar? Free. We’ll map the major festivals and your family’s dates to your Gregorian calendar.

Every verse in this blessing is quoted from a named source, and Pandit Arvind Narayan Shastri of Rishikesh reads every one before it is sent. Our Proof Standard →

Take your time. A blessing is care made into words, and it is prepared on your schedule.