Markandeyapurana 31.35

31.35

bhojayet praṇipātādyaiḥ prāsādya yatamānasaḥ /
yathaiva śuklapakṣādvai pitṝṇāmasitaḥ priyaḥ //

“With- his mind controlled he should feast those who 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 of the waning moon is dearer to the pitṛs than that of the waxing moon, so the afternoon pleases the pitṛs more than the forenoon. One should do reverence to these dvijas, who have arrived 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 pitṛs the number of brāhmans should be uneven, and in the case of the Gods[8] even; or, according to the circumstances of the celebrant, there should be one brāhman for the pitṛs and one for the Gods. In like manner for the maternal ancestors the number of brāhmans should be uneven or only one. The brāhmans intended for the Viśvadevas may be identical on the side of the pitṛs and maternal ancestors; but some other men desire that they should be distinct. He should place the brāhmans intended for the Gods with their faces toward the east, and those for the pitṛs toward the north.[9] The ceremony due to the maternal ancestors has been similarly expounded by the wise.