Matsyapurana 18.1

18.1

*sūta uvāca
ekoddiṣṭamato vakṣye yaduktaṃ cakrapāṇinā
mṛte putrairyathā kāryam āśaucaṃ ca pitaryapi //

Sûta said : I shall now relate to you the Ekoddiṣṭa śrâddha, as explained by the Lord, and will also tell you for what period a son should consider himself defiled after the death of his father. By the death of a kinsman (Sapiṇḍa), a Brâhmaṇa remains defiled for ten days, a Kṣatriya for 12 days, a Vaiśya for 15 days, a Śûdra for a month. By the demise of one whose tonsure ceremony was not performed, one remains defiled for 3 nights. Similarly, people of all classes are defiled for a period when there is a child-birth in the house. At the time of a death till the corpse is burnt and the ashes are collected, the person in whose family the death occurs should not be considered contaminated. Commencing from the day of the demise of the person, a lump of food should be offered to the departed spirit, for a period of twelve days. That offering is Pâtheya (that is viaticum) and is consequently most agreeable.—1-5.