Ancestral karmas—both good and bad—are widely believed to influence an individual’s life, often acting as inherited "debts" or "blessings" that manifest as circumstances, health, or fortune. This is frequently termed "Pitru Dosha" or family karma, where descendants may experience the results of their ancestors' actions, requiring them to clear lingering debts.
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In Rig Veda, Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha prays to Varuṇa (King), the BRAHMAN, to relieve him from any past deceits/misdeeds (द्रुग्धानि - drugdhāni) committed by ancestors or by himself, as a calf is being released from the thief.
अव द्रुग्धानि पित्र्या सृजा नोऽव या वयं चकृमा तनूभिः । अव राजन्पशुतृपं न तायुं सृजा वत्सं न दाम्नो वसिष्ठम् ॥
ava drugdhāni pitryā sṛjā no 'va yā vayaṃ cakṛmā tanūbhiḥ | ava rājan paśutṛpaṃ na tāyuṃ sṛjā vatsaṃ na dāmno vasiṣṭham ||
English translation:
Release from us ancestral deceits and those that we ourselves have committed. O king, release Vasiṣṭha from his bond like a cattle-stealing thief, like a calf.
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Please note the phrase :: drugdhāni pitryā - ancestral deceits/misdeeds
