Manava Dharmashastra 3.73

3.73

śrāddhaśabdena vidhānātsarvasmiṃstadvidhāne prāpte kaściditikartavyatābhāgo nivartyate na caivātrāśayatkiṃcit | nāntrānvāhierke śrāddhe vaiśvadevaṃ prati viśvāndevānuddiśya dvijabhojanam | atra kecidāhuḥ | prāpte bhojana āśayediti punarvacanamapūrvatvamasya darśayati | tenaitāvadevaitacchāddhaṃ yatpitṝnuddiśya brāhmaṇa eko bhojyate, na tvanyā kācidarghapātrādihomādyetikartavyatā'sti | 'brahmacarya' 'svādhyāyāniṣedha' ityevamādi na bhavati | ekamapyāśayedvipram | trayāṇāṃ niyamādekaikamubhayatretyasyāvidhitvādaprāpta eko vidhīyate | ekamapi bhojayet, sati saṃbhave bahūnapi | pitrarthaṃ pitṛtṛptyartham | pāñcayajñikam | pañcayajñabhavaṃ pāñcayajñikaṃ, tadantargatam | pāñcayajñikaśabdaḥ śrāddhe prayuktaḥ | na hyetat pāñcayajñikaṃ tarpaṇam | tena tarpaṇabhojanayoḥ samuccayaḥ | asya tu vikalpo bhaviṣyati- 'yadeva tarpayatyadbhiriti' |

At that (Śrāddha) which forms part of the Five Sacrifices, one should feed even one Brāhmaṇa in honour of the pitṛs; and on this occasion he shall not feed any Brāhmaṇa in honour of the Viśve-devas.—(83)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
Since the offering to the Viśvedevas has been enjoined under the name ‘Śrāddha,’ it would follow that the entire procedure of the Śrāddha has to be gone through at that offering also; hence the present verse proceeds to preclude a certain portion of that procedure. ‘On this occasion’—of the daily Śrāddha—one should not feed any Brāhmaṇas in honour of the Viśvedevas,—i.e., with reference to these.

On this point, some people make the following observations:—“Since feeding is already understood as forming part of the Śrāddha, the presence of the verb ‘should feed’ in this verse indicates that this feeding is something new (different from the feeding that forms an integral part of all Śrāddhas.) Hence the Śrāddha that is laid down in the present verse is to be regarded as consisting merely in the act of feeding one Brāhmaṇa, and there is nothing else to be done at it, in the shape of the offering of a vessel of water, oblations, and so forth; nor are the restraints relating to ‘avoidance of sexual intercourse,’ ‘omitting of Vedic Study,’ and so forth to be observed in this connection.”

‘Should feed even one Brāhmaṇa’—the number of Brāhmaṇas to be fed having been fixed at three,—and what is said (under 3.125) regarding the feeding of ‘one at each of the two’ not being of.the nature of an Injunction—the number ‘one,’ which has not been indicated by any other authority, is what is distinctly enjoined here;—the sense being that ‘one should feed even one Brāhmaṇa,—but also many, if possible.’

‘In honour of the pitṛs’—i.e., for the purpose of satisfying the pitṛs.

‘That which forms part of the Five Sacrifices’—i.e., that which is included among the Five Sacrifices; this term being used here in the sense of ‘Śrāddha;’ what is spoken of as ‘what forms part of the Five Sacrifices’ is not the Tarpaṇa—offering (of water); but the combination of this water—offering and the feeding of the Brāhmaṇa. The optional alternative to this shall be described below, under 3.283.—(83)