Maricismriti 1: Uddhṛtāni vacanāni

For those killed by poison, weapons, wild animals, or snakes, or who were killed by animals or by brāhmaṇas, / the rite is to be performed on the fourteenth day [of the fortnight]; for others, however, it is condemned.

For those killed by poison, weapons, wild beasts, snakes, animals or Brahmins, the (annual) rite is to be performed on the fourteenth; for others it is condemned.

The new moon of the month of Nabhas—on that [day] the gathering of darbha grass is prescribed; / those darbha grasses are not rendered stale, and may be employed again and again.

The new moon of the month Nabhas is the time prescribed for gathering darbha; darbha gathered then does not grow stale and may be used again and again.

In the case of salt, honey, and meat, and in the case of flowers, roots, and fruits, / in the case of vegetables, firewood, grass, and water, and in the case of curd, clarified butter, and milk, // and in the case of sesame, herbs, and hides, taking cooked or uncooked [food] oneself, / and among all merchandise—there is no impurity upon death or birth.

In salt, honey and meat, flowers, roots and fruits, vegetables, wood and grass, water, curds, ghee and milk, sesame, herbs and skins, cooked and uncooked food taken by oneself, and in all goods for sale, there is no impurity from a death or a birth.

When an obstacle to a śrāddha has arisen, or when the day of death is unknown, / it should be performed on the eleventh day, especially in the dark fortnight.

When an obstacle to the śrāddha arises, or the day of death is not known, it is to be performed on the eleventh, especially of the dark fortnight.

Upon birth and death, [the impurity is] for three nights for the two prior spouses; / for sapiṇḍas, however, it is one day where [others have] three nights.

At a birth or death of (children) of a woman previously married to another, three days; one day for the sapiṇḍas …

It should be given with an open hand; one should not show a mudrā there. / Sesame seeds should be held in the left hand, having released the right hand.

(The libation) is to be given with open hand; one should not show a gesture there; the sesame is to be held in the left hand, leaving the right hand free.

Not outside the knees, not in haste, not seated on a seat, nor standing, / not wearing sandals, not absent-minded, pure, of restrained mind, // having sipped water, a twice-born man becomes constantly clean and purified.

Not with hands outside the knees, not in haste, not on a raised seat nor standing, not in sandals nor absent-minded, (but) pure and attentive — sipping thus, a twice-born man is always pure and cleansed.

A son who is of the same gotra or of another gotra according to rule / should first offer the piṇḍa and the śrāddha ritual to the owner of the field (kṣetrin), / and then afterward to the bearer of the seed (bījin).

Whether of the same gotra or another, a son begotten by rule should first offer the rice-ball and the śrāddha to the owner of the field, and afterwards to the begetter.

The śrāddha which [is performed] every month on the day of death, and every year, / and at the beginning of a manvantara and at the beginning of a yuga, and also in both months—

The monthly śrāddha on the day of death, the annual one, and those on the beginnings of the Manu-ages and of the yugas, (are to be done) in both months (when there is an intercalary month).

If the tithi of the annual rite extends over two afternoons, / the great sages praise that [day] which is conjoined with it when it is greater.

When the lunar day of the annual śrāddha covers the afternoon on two days, the great seers commend the one joined with the greater (part).

Whatever fruit is declared for a śrāddha during the lunar mansions beginning with Kṛttikā, / that very fruit is desired during the astrological yogas beginning with Viṣkambha.

The fruit declared for a śrāddha on the lunar mansions beginning with Kṛttikā is held to be the same on the yogas beginning with Viṣkambha.

One who maintains no sacred fire, one who is on a journey, and one whose wife is menstruating / should perform a raw-grain śrāddha (āmaśrāddha); he should not perform that on the day of death.

One without the sacred fire, one away from home, and one whose wife is menstruating should perform the śrāddha with uncooked food — but not on the day of death.

A girl given with the pouring of water, but not actually handed over, / is to be known as unconsecrated; [an impurity of] three nights is remembered for both [families].

A girl given with water but not yet handed over is to be known as unconsecrated; (on her death) three days' impurity is prescribed for both (families).

Sacrificial sticks should be offered with their tips pointing east, and unsplit in rites for desired ends; / and in rites for desired ends they should be with branches and fresh; opposite for one who wishes to slay. // Those that are decayed, split, short, crooked, hollow, thin, / long, thick, or infested with wood-worms destroy the success of the rite.

Fuel-sticks are to be offered with their tips to the east, unsplit in optional rites, and in optional rites green with leaves; the reverse for one who seeks to harm. Sticks rotten, split, short, crooked, hollow, thin, too long, too thick or worm-eaten destroy the success of the rite.

On the seventh tithi, on Sunday, and likewise at home on one's birthday, / one who desires servants, sons, and a wife should not perform a libation with sesame.

On the seventh lunar day, on a Sunday, at home and on one's birthday, one who wishes for servants, sons and wife should not offer libations with sesame.

I shall declare the deities in regular order, each belonging to which: / Varuṇa is the deity in [the cow's] urine, the carrier of oblations (Agni) in cow dung; / Soma is declared in milk, Vāyu in curd, and Ravi in clarified butter.

I shall declare in order the deities of each (of the five cow-products): Varuṇa is the deity of the urine, Agni of the dung, Soma of the milk, Vāyu of the curds, the Sun of the ghee.

At the invocation and at the uttering of "svadhā", mantras are to be adapted (ūhya), and at the dismissal; / in the rites of food, they should not be adapted: [such] is remembered as the rule for the raw-grain śrāddha.

In a śrāddha with uncooked food the mantras are to be adapted for the invitation, the svadhā-call and the dismissal, not for the acts concerning the food: this is the rule.

Upon miscarriage, [the impurity] of the mother corresponds to the number of months; for the father and others, it is three days.

On a miscarriage, the mother (is impure) for as many days as months, the father and the rest for three days.

Upon miscarriage, [the impurity] corresponds to the number of months, but if recently [conceived], three days for the highest [varṇa]; / for a kṣatriya, four nights; for a vaiśya, five days; / and by eight days for a śūdra is this purification proclaimed.

On an early miscarriage (impurity lasts) as many days as months; for the highest class three days, for a Kṣatriya four, for a Vaiśya five, for a Śūdra eight: this is the purification declared.

Giving a gaurī, one attains heaven; giving a rohiṇī, Vaikuṇṭha; / giving a kanyā, the world of Brahmā; but [giving] a menstruating girl, Raurava hell.

Giving (in marriage) a girl of eight one reaches the vault of heaven, one of nine Vaikuṇṭha, a maiden (of ten) the world of Brahmā, but a menstruating girl the Raurava hell.

That which is offered with faith, designating the deceased and the ancestors, / of food pleasing to oneself—that is declared to be a śrāddha.

Where food dear to oneself is given with faith, naming the departed and the ancestors, that is called śrāddha.

One whose ears are unpierced, one who is black, and likewise one with long ears— / [these] brāhmaṇas are to be avoided with effort in the rite of śrāddha.

A Brahmin whose ears are unpierced, one who is black, and one with hanging ears are carefully to be avoided at a śrāddha.

When an obstacle to a śrāddha arises for twice-born men, a raw-grain śrāddha is prescribed, / fixed for the new moon and other occasions, except for the monthly and annual rites.

When the śrāddha of the twice-born is obstructed, a śrāddha with uncooked food is prescribed for the fixed ones such as the new-moon śrāddha, except the monthly and annual ones.

Whether standing on the ground or drawn up, whether cold or warm, / the water of the Gaṅgā purifies sin right up to the end of life.

Whether on the ground or drawn up, cold or hot, the water of the Gaṅgā purifies sin up to the point of death.