31 - Description of the Párvana Shráddha.

Madalasá mentions the seven sapinda ancestors, and the lepabhujas, and the remoter ancestors-She explains how the celebrant of the shráddha nourishes them all. She enumrates the times for the shraddha, and the persons who should and who should not be invited it - She describes how the shraddha should be performed. 

Madálasá spoke.

1 “After the performance of the shráddha to deceased sapiņdas, he who is the father’s great-grandfather passes to the class of those who feed on the lepa,* having lost his share in the pinda

* The wipings of the hands after offering the funeral oblations to the thing sapindas. 

2 offered to the pitris. He, who is the fourth there-above among those who feed on the lepa bestowed by the deceaseds son, ceases to eat thereof and obtains the satisfaction that is freed from the relationship. 

3       “The father, and grandfathor, and also the great-grand- father these truly must be known as the three males who

4 are related by the pinda.† And those who are related by the lepa aro said to be the three others reckoning upwards from the grandfather’s grandfather: and the celebrant is

† Sapindas. 

5 the seventh among them. Such have Munis declared this seven-ancestral relationship to be, reckoning from the celebrant upwards. And there-above are those beyond participation in the lepa. 

6       “Next are classed all the other ancestors, both those who dwell in Naraka, and those who have become animals, and those who roside within living creatures and other things.

7       “By what several means the celebrant, while performing the śhráddha rightly, nourishes all those ancestors, hear that, my child. 

8 “Now truly those ancestors who have become piśhach’as obtain satisfaction from the food that men scatter on the ground

9 Those ancestors, my son, who have become trees, receive satisfaction from the water that drips from the bathing garment

10 on the ground. But the drops of water, that fall from the limbs on the ground, minister nourishment to those ancestors in

11 the family who have attained divinity. And when the piņdas are taken up, the particles of food that fall on the earth, -those ancestors in the family who have become animals

12 gain nourishmont therefrom. The children morcover in the family who, being capable of performing religious ceremonies but not having undergone the purificatory rites, are burnt on their death, they in their distress subsist on the

13 scattering of the food and the water used in scouring. And the water, both that which is used by bráhmans for ringing out the mouth after meals, and that which is used by them for sprinkling the feet, - the other ancestors likewise gain satisfaction

14 indeed therefrom. So whatever water and food is scattered by the celebrant and by those dvijas, whether it be

15 unsullied or fragmentary, that, my child, in the family of those who duly perform the śhráddhas, nourishes the other ancestors who have been born among the several creations.

16 With the śhráddhas, which men perform with ill-gotten wealth, are satisfied those ancestors wha have been born as chandálas, pukkaśhas and other men of degraded castes. 

17     “Thus many here derive nourishment, my child, throngh their relations who perform the śhráddhas, by means of the

18 casting away of food and drops of water. Therefore,, a man should perform the śhráddha in faith according to rule even with vegetables: no one perishes in the family of one who performs the śhráddha. 

19 “I will mention tho periodic times for it; and learn of me by what rule men perform it. 

20    “The śhráddha must necessarily be performed on the night of the new moon, at the moon’s waning every month, and on the eighth days* also. 

*Of three months.

21 “Learn of me the voluntary seasons. On the arrival of a distinguished bráhman, on an eclipse of the sun or moon, at the solstice, at the equinox, at the sun’s passage from one sign

22 into another, and on the occasion of a portent,† my son, on acquiring property worthy of a śhráddha, and on seeing a bad dream, and at occultations of the constellation or planet under which one is born, one should perform the śhráddha according to one’s inclination. 

† For vyatipáte read vyatipáte. This word has several other meanings, which are admissible.

23 “A distinguished bráhman learned in the Veda, a yogi, one who knows the Veda, one who has mastered the Jyeshhtha-sáman, one who has thrice kindled the fire Nách’iketa, one who knows the three verses which begun with ‘madhu,’†† one who knows the ‘tri-suparņa’ hymns, one who knows the six

†† Rig-V. I. 90. 6-8. 

24 Vedángas, a daughter’s son, a Ritvij priest, a daughter’s husband, and a sister’s son, and a father-in law also, and one who is skilled in the business of the five sacred fires, and one who

25 is eminent in austerities, a maternal uncle, and one who is anterior to one’s parents, a disciple, a relative by marriage and a kinsman-these bráhmans are all worthy of invitation to a śhráddha.

26 “A religious student who has been incontinent, and a sick man, and ono who has a limb superfluous or deficient, the son of a widow remarried, and a one-eyed man, an adulterine son

27 and a widow’s bastard, my son, a traitor to his friends, on who has bad nails, an impotent man, a man with brown teeth a bráhman negligent of his duties, a man cursed by his father

28 a slanderer, a vendor of soma juice, one who has deflowered his daughter, a medical man, and one who has discarded his guru and father, a hired teacher, a friend,* and

* Bhřitakádhyápako mitrah. This seems strange. 

29 the husband of a previously-marriod woman, one who discards the Vedas, and one who abandons the sacred fire, a man who has been corrupted by the husband of a low caste woman, † and others who habitually practise improper acts -all these persons are verily to be shunned in ceremonies to the pitřis, (O bráhmans.) 

† For vrishali-pati. dushitah road vrishali-dushita-patik, one who has married a low-caste woman or a deflowered girl? 

30 “The celebrant should invite the above-mentioned brahman on the day before, to the function performed in honour of the gods and pitris, and should fetch them also. 

31     “And both ho, who shall perform a shráddha that ought to be performod by those self-controlling men, and he, who indulges in sexual intercourse after having offered the shrádha and eaten the food, -the ancestors of these two men verily

32 lie down in that somen a month. Moreover,, be who eats at shraddha and he who goes to a shráddha after intercourse with

33 a woman,- the ancestors of those two men feed on semen and urine for that month. Therefore,, a wise man must first issue

34 an invitation; and men who have intercourse with women before the day arrives must be shunned. 

“With his mind controlled he should feast those who

35 have come seeking for alms, or ascetics who control themselves at the proper times, after first propitiating them with prostrations and other reverential acts. Just as the time

36 of the waning moon is dearer to the pitris than that of the waxing moon, so the afternoon pleases the pitris more than the forenoon. One should do reverence to these dvijas, who

37 have arived at his house, with a welcome; and with the pavitra in hand he should seat those, who have rinsed out their mouths, on seats. In the case of the pitris the number of bráhmans should be uneven, and in the case of the Gods*

*For devai read daive.

38 even; or, according to tho circumstances of the celebrant, there should be one bráhman for the pitris and one for the Gods. In like manner for the maternal ancestors the number of bráhmans should be uneven or only one. The bráhmans intended

39 for the Viśhva-devas may be identical on the side of the pitris and maternal ancestors; but some other men desire that they should be distinct. Ho should place the bráhmans intended for the Gods with their faces toward the east, and those for

40 the pitris toward the north.† Tho ceremony due to the maternal ancestors has been Similarly, expounded by the wise. 

†The text is very obscure, and seems corrupt. For this translation I am indebted to Babu Harimohan Vidyabhushan, the Pandit of the Bengal Asiatic society: 

Let the intelligent man giving kusha grass for a seat, and

41 worshipping with the arghya and other offerings, giving things pure and such like, and obtaining permission from them, -let the wise dvija perform the invocation to the gods

42 according to the mantras. And having also given the arghya offering to all the deities with barley and water, and having duly given perfume, garlands, water and incense accompanied

43 with a lamp, let him both perform the whole of the dextral circumambulation for the pitris; and having given a double quantity of darbha grass, and having obtained permission 

44 from them, let the intelligent man perform the invocation the pitris, prefacing it with the mantras. And let him also perform the dextral circumambulation and give the arghya

45 offering and barley and money and sesamum seed, intent on pleasing the pitris. Then permitted by the dvijas who

46 say, “Perform the ceremonies in the fire!’ let him offer rice unmixed with condiments or salt according to rule. The first rite consists in uttering ‘Sváhá!’ to fire, the bearer of

47 Oblations to the pitris; and let the next be ‘Sváhá! Soma who is esteemed by tho pitris; and the third offering is

48 ‘Sváhá!’ to Yama, the lord of the departed. And let hi put the remains of the offering into the vessels of the dvijas and taking hold of the vessels let him give the rice according

49 to rule. He should say affably “Ho, do yo enjoy yourselves happily!” * and then they also should eat happily, with their

* For yathá sukham read yathá-sukham?

50 minds attentive thereon and observing silence. And a man should leisurely give them whatever food they like best, displaying

51 no wrath and alluring them appropriately.  And him utter the mantras which vanquish the Rákshasas, and let  him strew the ground with sesamum seed and with which mustard: for the śhráddha possesses abundant devices for

52 protection. And let the man, permitted by the dvijas who say “Yes are satisfied and we are satisfied by those who are nourished and satisfied,” scatter food everywhere on the

53 ground. Similarly,, then having obtained permission, let him with voice body and mind controlled, give the dvijas severally

54 water† to rinse out their mouths. Then, my son, let hi with his left hand put the piņdas with rice and sesamum-seed on the darbha grass, near the remains of the food, for the

† For apaḥ road apaḥ. 

55 pitris. Let him composedly also give them water with the part of the hand†† sacred to the pitris, since O prince! He

††Pitri-tirtha, the part between the forefinger and thumb. 

56 celebrates the sacrifice with faith for the pitris. Similarly,, he should, after giving the piņdas on behalf of the maternal grandfathers according to rule, then give water for rinsing out the mouth together with scent, garlands &c.; and having

57 given the brahmans’ fee according to his ability, address them “May Svadhá be fortunate!” and let him cause them, who being satisfied say “Be it so!” to pronounce the Vaishvadevika

58 mantras. Let him say “May they be pleased!” “Hail to you, O O Viśhve devas.” And on those bráhmans, saying, “Be it

59 so!” he should request their benedictions. He should dismiss them, addressing them pleasantly and prostrating himsolf in faith; and he should attend them as far as the door, and he

60 should return, a gladdened man. Then he should perform the continual ceremony, and should also feed guests. And some very good men wish for a continual ceremony to tho

61 pitris, and others do not wish it for the pitris. He should perform the remainder as the first part: some think ‘not with a separate cooking vessel,’ some prefer it repeated exactly

62 in the same order.* Then the celebrant should eat that rice in company with his servants and others. 

* The text seems obscure.

Thus should the man skilled in religious law perform

63 composedly the śhráddha to the pitris, or so as satisfaction accrues to the bráhmans. There are three pure things in a shráddha,

64 sesamum-seed,† sacrificial grass, and tho sesamum-plant;†† and they say those, (O princely bráhman,) are to be avoided,

† Dauhitram, ase note ††, p. 84. 

††Tila.

65 anger, journeying, haste. A silver vessel is also commended at śhráddhas, my son. Now silver is for use, for looking at and for giving away; for whon the offering to the pitris is milked ont in a silver vessel, the pitris give ear to the earth; § hence the pitris desire silver, which increases their affection. 

§ The text sooms incorrect