Manava Dharmashastra 3.268

3.268

pūrvapakṣaḥ śuklapakṣaḥ aparaḥ kṛṣṇapakṣaḥ | caitrasitādyā māsā iti | yathā śrāddhasya śuklapakṣāt kṛṣṇapakṣo viśiṣyate prakṛṣṭaphalado bhavati tathā pūrvāhṇādaparāhlo viśeṣavacanāt | pūrvāhṇe'pi kadācitkartavyameveti pratīyate | nanu ca prasiddhena dṛṣṭāntena bhavitavyam | na cāparapakṣasya pūrvapakṣācchrāddhaṃ prati viśeṣa uktaḥ | kecidāhuḥ kṛṣṇapakṣe daśamyādāvityetasmātpratīyate | evaṃ tu brūmaḥ—'vacanāni tvapūrvatvāt' (mī0 sū0 3|

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Fortner halt of the month’ is the brighter fortnight; and ‘latter half’ is the darker fortnight;—months being counted from the brighter fortnight of Caitra onwards.

Just as, for purposes of Śrāddha, the darker fortnight is preferable to—is productive of better results than -the brighter fortnight, so is the afternoon preferable to the forenoon. From the declaration of this ‘preference,’ it follows that in some cases one might perform a śrāddha during the forenoon also.

“As a rule, the illustration should be well known; as a matter of fact, however, nowhere has the text declared the superiority of the darker fortnight to the brighter fortnight, for purposes of Śrāddha. [Hence the illustration is not apt].”

Some people explain that the said superiority is understood from what has been said under 276, regarding the ‘darker fortnight’ and ‘days beginning with the tenth.’ Our explanation, however, is as follows:—According to the principle laid down in Mīmāṃsāsūtra 3. 5. 21, even an unknown fact can serve as an illustration; so that, in the case in question, from the citation of the illustration itself we may even deduce the necessary injunction (regarding the performance of Sharddhas ( Śrāddhas?) during the darker fortnight).—(278)