SECTION XIV.Aurva said:—"When a man celebrates reverentially the Srāddha of his ancestors, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, two Aswinis, the sun, fire, Vasus, Maruts, Viçwadevas, Rishis, birds, men, beasts, reptiles, manes and all other creatures, become propitiated. This should be performed, O king, every month, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, or the eighth day of the same period in some months or at particular seasons. Hear, I shall now explain them. A householder should celebrate it when he will find all requisites ready, when a learned Brāhmin has come to the house for which ancestral ceremonies are appropriate. He should voluntarily offer sacrifice upon any atmospheric portent, at the equinoctial and solstitial periods, at eclipses of the sun and moon, on the sun's entrance into a Zodiacal sign, upon unpropitious aspects of the planets and asterisms, on dreaming unlucky dreams and on eating the grain of the year's harvest. The manes obtain satisfaction for eight years from ancestral offerings upon the day of the new moon when the star of the conjunction is Anurādhā, Visakhā or Swāti and for twelve years when it is Pushya, Ardrā or Punarvasu. He, who desires to satisfy the celestials or the manes, very seldom gets an opportunity on a day of new moon when the stars are those of Dhanistha, Purvabhādrapāda or Satabhisā. Hear also the description of another class of Srāddhas which give special delight to the manes as explained by Sanatkumāra the son of Brahmā, to the noble Pururavas when brimful with faith and devotion to the manes he asked how he might please them. The third lunar day of the month of Vaisakha (April, May) and the ninth of Kārtika (October, November) in the light fortnight; the thirteenth of Nabha (July, August) and the fifteenth of Magha (January, February) in the dark fortnight are called by the sages of yore the anniversaries of the first day of Yuga and are regarded as most sacred. On these days water mixed with sesamum-seed should be duly offered to the progenitors as well as on every lunar and solar eclipse; on the eighth lunations of the dark fortnights of Agrahāyana, Māgha and Fālguna on the two days beginning the solstices when the nights and days alternately begin to diminish; on the days which are the anniversaries of the beginning of Manwantaras; when the sun is in the path of the goat and on all these occasions when meteors appear. A Srāddha, performed on these occasions, gives pleasure to the manes for a thousand years; and this is the secret which they have given. The fifteenth day, of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha when united with the conjunction of the asterism over which Varuna rules, is also a sacred season when offerings particularly afford delight to the manes. When the asterism Dhanishthā is united with the day of new moon, food and water, offered by members of respectable families, satisfy the manes for ten thousand years. And on the day of new moon when Ardra is in the ascendant they rest satisfied by offerings for a whole age."He, who after having offered food and libations to the manes bathes in the Ganges, Satlaj, Vipasa, Saraswati or the Gomati at Naimisha, is freed from all sins. The manes also sing—'After having obtained gratification for a twelve month we shall derive further satisfaction by libations offered by our descendants at some place of pilgrimage at the end of the dark fortnight of Māgha'. (The songs of Pitris) confer upon men purity of mind, prosperity, prosperous seasons, perfect rites and firm faith and all other things which they desire. Hear, O king, I shall repeat some verses as sung by the manes, hearing which, you will follow them with a controlled mind. 'That wise man who does not shrink from spending his wealth and presents us with cakes shall be born in an illustrious family. He should, if he is rich, give to Brāhmans in our honour, jewels, cloths, land, conveyances, wealth and various other eatables. If he not got so much wealth he should feed with faith and humility excellent Brāhmans according to his means. If he cannot afford to give them food even he should according his might, present them with unboiled grain or with some gifts however trifling they may be. Should he be utterly unable even to do this, O king, he must give to some excellent Brahmin, bowing before him sesamum-seeds, adhering to the tips of his fingers. Or he should sprinkle water mixed with seven or eight sesamum seeds to us upon the ground; or he should gather, as he may, fodder for a day and give it to a cow, by which he will, if firm in faith, give us satisfaction. And if it is impossible for him to go through any of these he should go to a forest raise up his arms to the sun and other planets and say aloud—'I have no money, nor property nor grain nor any thing whatever which I may give as an offering to my ancestors. So I reverentially bow unto my ancestors; may they be propitiated with my devotion only—I throw up my arms in the air.' These are the words of the progenitors. O king, he who endeavours to satisfy their desires, performs the ancestral rite called Srāddha".
SECTION XIV.Aurva said:—"When a man celebrates reverentially the Srāddha of his ancestors, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, two Aswinis, the sun, fire, Vasus, Maruts, Viçwadevas, Rishis, birds, men, beasts, reptiles, manes and all other creatures, become propitiated. This should be performed, O king, every month, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, or the eighth day of the same period in some months or at particular seasons. Hear, I shall now explain them. A householder should celebrate it when he will find all requisites ready, when a learned Brāhmin has come to the house for which ancestral ceremonies are appropriate. He should voluntarily offer sacrifice upon any atmospheric portent, at the equinoctial and solstitial periods, at eclipses of the sun and moon, on the sun's entrance into a Zodiacal sign, upon unpropitious aspects of the planets and asterisms, on dreaming unlucky dreams and on eating the grain of the year's harvest. The manes obtain satisfaction for eight years from ancestral offerings upon the day of the new moon when the star of the conjunction is Anurādhā, Visakhā or Swāti and for twelve years when it is Pushya, Ardrā or Punarvasu. He, who desires to satisfy the celestials or the manes, very seldom gets an opportunity on a day of new moon when the stars are those of Dhanistha, Purvabhādrapāda or Satabhisā. Hear also the description of another class of Srāddhas which give special delight to the manes as explained by Sanatkumāra the son of Brahmā, to the noble Pururavas when brimful with faith and devotion to the manes he asked how he might please them. The third lunar day of the month of Vaisakha (April, May) and the ninth of Kārtika (October, November) in the light fortnight; the thirteenth of Nabha (July, August) and the fifteenth of Magha (January, February) in the dark fortnight are called by the sages of yore the anniversaries of the first day of Yuga and are regarded as most sacred. On these days water mixed with sesamum-seed should be duly offered to the progenitors as well as on every lunar and solar eclipse; on the eighth lunations of the dark fortnights of Agrahāyana, Māgha and Fālguna on the two days beginning the solstices when the nights and days alternately begin to diminish; on the days which are the anniversaries of the beginning of Manwantaras; when the sun is in the path of the goat and on all these occasions when meteors appear. A Srāddha, performed on these occasions, gives pleasure to the manes for a thousand years; and this is the secret which they have given. The fifteenth day, of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha when united with the conjunction of the asterism over which Varuna rules, is also a sacred season when offerings particularly afford delight to the manes. When the asterism Dhanishthā is united with the day of new moon, food and water, offered by members of respectable families, satisfy the manes for ten thousand years. And on the day of new moon when Ardra is in the ascendant they rest satisfied by offerings for a whole age."He, who after having offered food and libations to the manes bathes in the Ganges, Satlaj, Vipasa, Saraswati or the Gomati at Naimisha, is freed from all sins. The manes also sing—'After having obtained gratification for a twelve month we shall derive further satisfaction by libations offered by our descendants at some place of pilgrimage at the end of the dark fortnight of Māgha'. (The songs of Pitris) confer upon men purity of mind, prosperity, prosperous seasons, perfect rites and firm faith and all other things which they desire. Hear, O king, I shall repeat some verses as sung by the manes, hearing which, you will follow them with a controlled mind. 'That wise man who does not shrink from spending his wealth and presents us with cakes shall be born in an illustrious family. He should, if he is rich, give to Brāhmans in our honour, jewels, cloths, land, conveyances, wealth and various other eatables. If he not got so much wealth he should feed with faith and humility excellent Brāhmans according to his means. If he cannot afford to give them food even he should according his might, present them with unboiled grain or with some gifts however trifling they may be. Should he be utterly unable even to do this, O king, he must give to some excellent Brahmin, bowing before him sesamum-seeds, adhering to the tips of his fingers. Or he should sprinkle water mixed with seven or eight sesamum seeds to us upon the ground; or he should gather, as he may, fodder for a day and give it to a cow, by which he will, if firm in faith, give us satisfaction. And if it is impossible for him to go through any of these he should go to a forest raise up his arms to the sun and other planets and say aloud—'I have no money, nor property nor grain nor any thing whatever which I may give as an offering to my ancestors. So I reverentially bow unto my ancestors; may they be propitiated with my devotion only—I throw up my arms in the air.' These are the words of the progenitors. O king, he who endeavours to satisfy their desires, performs the ancestral rite called Srāddha".
SECTION XIV.Aurva said:—"When a man celebrates reverentially the Srāddha of his ancestors, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, two Aswinis, the sun, fire, Vasus, Maruts, Viçwadevas, Rishis, birds, men, beasts, reptiles, manes and all other creatures, become propitiated. This should be performed, O king, every month, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, or the eighth day of the same period in some months or at particular seasons. Hear, I shall now explain them. A householder should celebrate it when he will find all requisites ready, when a learned Brāhmin has come to the house for which ancestral ceremonies are appropriate. He should voluntarily offer sacrifice upon any atmospheric portent, at the equinoctial and solstitial periods, at eclipses of the sun and moon, on the sun's entrance into a Zodiacal sign, upon unpropitious aspects of the planets and asterisms, on dreaming unlucky dreams and on eating the grain of the year's harvest. The manes obtain satisfaction for eight years from ancestral offerings upon the day of the new moon when the star of the conjunction is Anurādhā, Visakhā or Swāti and for twelve years when it is Pushya, Ardrā or Punarvasu. He, who desires to satisfy the celestials or the manes, very seldom gets an opportunity on a day of new moon when the stars are those of Dhanistha, Purvabhādrapāda or Satabhisā. Hear also the description of another class of Srāddhas which give special delight to the manes as explained by Sanatkumāra the son of Brahmā, to the noble Pururavas when brimful with faith and devotion to the manes he asked how he might please them. The third lunar day of the month of Vaisakha (April, May) and the ninth of Kārtika (October, November) in the light fortnight; the thirteenth of Nabha (July, August) and the fifteenth of Magha (January, February) in the dark fortnight are called by the sages of yore the anniversaries of the first day of Yuga and are regarded as most sacred. On these days water mixed with sesamum-seed should be duly offered to the progenitors as well as on every lunar and solar eclipse; on the eighth lunations of the dark fortnights of Agrahāyana, Māgha and Fālguna on the two days beginning the solstices when the nights and days alternately begin to diminish; on the days which are the anniversaries of the beginning of Manwantaras; when the sun is in the path of the goat and on all these occasions when meteors appear. A Srāddha, performed on these occasions, gives pleasure to the manes for a thousand years; and this is the secret which they have given. The fifteenth day, of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha when united with the conjunction of the asterism over which Varuna rules, is also a sacred season when offerings particularly afford delight to the manes. When the asterism Dhanishthā is united with the day of new moon, food and water, offered by members of respectable families, satisfy the manes for ten thousand years. And on the day of new moon when Ardra is in the ascendant they rest satisfied by offerings for a whole age."He, who after having offered food and libations to the manes bathes in the Ganges, Satlaj, Vipasa, Saraswati or the Gomati at Naimisha, is freed from all sins. The manes also sing—'After having obtained gratification for a twelve month we shall derive further satisfaction by libations offered by our descendants at some place of pilgrimage at the end of the dark fortnight of Māgha'. (The songs of Pitris) confer upon men purity of mind, prosperity, prosperous seasons, perfect rites and firm faith and all other things which they desire. Hear, O king, I shall repeat some verses as sung by the manes, hearing which, you will follow them with a controlled mind. 'That wise man who does not shrink from spending his wealth and presents us with cakes shall be born in an illustrious family. He should, if he is rich, give to Brāhmans in our honour, jewels, cloths, land, conveyances, wealth and various other eatables. If he not got so much wealth he should feed with faith and humility excellent Brāhmans according to his means. If he cannot afford to give them food even he should according his might, present them with unboiled grain or with some gifts however trifling they may be. Should he be utterly unable even to do this, O king, he must give to some excellent Brahmin, bowing before him sesamum-seeds, adhering to the tips of his fingers. Or he should sprinkle water mixed with seven or eight sesamum seeds to us upon the ground; or he should gather, as he may, fodder for a day and give it to a cow, by which he will, if firm in faith, give us satisfaction. And if it is impossible for him to go through any of these he should go to a forest raise up his arms to the sun and other planets and say aloud—'I have no money, nor property nor grain nor any thing whatever which I may give as an offering to my ancestors. So I reverentially bow unto my ancestors; may they be propitiated with my devotion only—I throw up my arms in the air.' These are the words of the progenitors. O king, he who endeavours to satisfy their desires, performs the ancestral rite called Srāddha".
Aurva said:—"When a man celebrates reverentially the Srāddha of his ancestors, Brahmā, Indra, Rudra, two Aswinis, the sun, fire, Vasus, Maruts, Viçwadevas, Rishis, birds, men, beasts, reptiles, manes and all other creatures, become propitiated. This should be performed, O king, every month, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, or the eighth day of the same period in some months or at particular seasons. Hear, I shall now explain them. A householder should celebrate it when he will find all requisites ready, when a learned Brāhmin has come to the house for which ancestral ceremonies are appropriate. He should voluntarily offer sacrifice upon any atmospheric portent, at the equinoctial and solstitial periods, at eclipses of the sun and moon, on the sun's entrance into a Zodiacal sign, upon unpropitious aspects of the planets and asterisms, on dreaming unlucky dreams and on eating the grain of the year's harvest. The manes obtain satisfaction for eight years from ancestral offerings upon the day of the new moon when the star of the conjunction is Anurādhā, Visakhā or Swāti and for twelve years when it is Pushya, Ardrā or Punarvasu. He, who desires to satisfy the celestials or the manes, very seldom gets an opportunity on a day of new moon when the stars are those of Dhanistha, Purvabhādrapāda or Satabhisā. Hear also the description of another class of Srāddhas which give special delight to the manes as explained by Sanatkumāra the son of Brahmā, to the noble Pururavas when brimful with faith and devotion to the manes he asked how he might please them. The third lunar day of the month of Vaisakha (April, May) and the ninth of Kārtika (October, November) in the light fortnight; the thirteenth of Nabha (July, August) and the fifteenth of Magha (January, February) in the dark fortnight are called by the sages of yore the anniversaries of the first day of Yuga and are regarded as most sacred. On these days water mixed with sesamum-seed should be duly offered to the progenitors as well as on every lunar and solar eclipse; on the eighth lunations of the dark fortnights of Agrahāyana, Māgha and Fālguna on the two days beginning the solstices when the nights and days alternately begin to diminish; on the days which are the anniversaries of the beginning of Manwantaras; when the sun is in the path of the goat and on all these occasions when meteors appear. A Srāddha, performed on these occasions, gives pleasure to the manes for a thousand years; and this is the secret which they have given. The fifteenth day, of the dark fortnight in the month of Māgha when united with the conjunction of the asterism over which Varuna rules, is also a sacred season when offerings particularly afford delight to the manes. When the asterism Dhanishthā is united with the day of new moon, food and water, offered by members of respectable families, satisfy the manes for ten thousand years. And on the day of new moon when Ardra is in the ascendant they rest satisfied by offerings for a whole age.
"He, who after having offered food and libations to the manes bathes in the Ganges, Satlaj, Vipasa, Saraswati or the Gomati at Naimisha, is freed from all sins. The manes also sing—'After having obtained gratification for a twelve month we shall derive further satisfaction by libations offered by our descendants at some place of pilgrimage at the end of the dark fortnight of Māgha'. (The songs of Pitris) confer upon men purity of mind, prosperity, prosperous seasons, perfect rites and firm faith and all other things which they desire. Hear, O king, I shall repeat some verses as sung by the manes, hearing which, you will follow them with a controlled mind. 'That wise man who does not shrink from spending his wealth and presents us with cakes shall be born in an illustrious family. He should, if he is rich, give to Brāhmans in our honour, jewels, cloths, land, conveyances, wealth and various other eatables. If he not got so much wealth he should feed with faith and humility excellent Brāhmans according to his means. If he cannot afford to give them food even he should according his might, present them with unboiled grain or with some gifts however trifling they may be. Should he be utterly unable even to do this, O king, he must give to some excellent Brahmin, bowing before him sesamum-seeds, adhering to the tips of his fingers. Or he should sprinkle water mixed with seven or eight sesamum seeds to us upon the ground; or he should gather, as he may, fodder for a day and give it to a cow, by which he will, if firm in faith, give us satisfaction. And if it is impossible for him to go through any of these he should go to a forest raise up his arms to the sun and other planets and say aloud—'I have no money, nor property nor grain nor any thing whatever which I may give as an offering to my ancestors. So I reverentially bow unto my ancestors; may they be propitiated with my devotion only—I throw up my arms in the air.' These are the words of the progenitors. O king, he who endeavours to satisfy their desires, performs the ancestral rite called Srāddha".