Pitra dosh is a term used in Hindu Vedic astrology to describe the bad karma created by the ancestors with their wrongdoing while living in the past. It is a karmic debt of the ancestors that needs to be paid by the person having Pitra dosh in their horoscope. In simple words, Pitra dosh is formed in the horoscope of a person when their forefathers have committed any mistakes, crimes, or sins in their life journey. The presence of Pitra dosh in ones horoscope may bring about some inevitable and unexpected hardships in the natives life, such as severe ups and downs, lack of mental decisiveness, and financial problems.

Some of the causes of Pitra dosh include early or unnatural death of ancestors up to the 7th generation on the patriarchal side and up to the 4th generation on the matriarchal side, intense pending karma, and failure to adhere to the basic requirements of yearly rituals for their ancestors.

There are several remedies to mitigate the malefic effects of Pitra dosh, such as avoiding anger and egoistic behavior, offering unconditional and unannounced services to parents, elderly needy persons, menial workers, poor people, and animals, and contributing to the expenses of getting a poor girl married or the treatment of poor patients. Additionally, performing a Pitra dosh Nivaran Puja can help appease the unfavorable planet causing Pitra dosh in the horoscope.