Matsyapurana 16: CHAPTER XVI
The Matsya Puranam 16
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CHAPTER XVI
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Sûta said, after hearing that, King Manu again enquired from the Lord Keśava, about the periods for the performance of śrâddhas, the different kinds of śrâddhas, the twice-born worthy of being fed on that occasion and those who ought to be discarded from the feast, the time of the day when śrâddha should be performed, the vessels that should be used in performing the ceremony, the ways of performing the rite and the mode of giving satisfaction to the Pitṛis.—1-3.
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The Lord replied that śrâddha should be performed daily and the Pitṛis should be satisfied by offering any of the following things:—Grain, water, milk, roots, fruits.—4.
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The śraddhas are of three kinds, viz.:—Nitya (Daily), Naimittika (Occasional), Kâmya (Optional). In performing Nitya śrâddha, no oblation (arghya), invocation or Viśvadeva worship is necessary. Naimittika śrâddha is that which is performed on the fourth and the eighth day of each half-month and on the days of the full and the new moon (pârvaṇa days). Pârvaṇas are of three different kinds, hear it O Lord of the world. First, it should be noted what class of people ought to be invited to the feast of Naimittika (Pârvana) śrâddha. One who is acquainted with the doctrine of the five mystic fires (Pañchâgni) a Snâtaka Brahmachâri, one who is well versed in the Vedas with their six aṅgas, the Śrotriya Brâhmaṇa, the son of such a Śrotriya Brâhmaṇa, one highly proficient in the rules of Vidhi (or Laws), one who is thoroughly acquainted with the sacred hymns, the minister, one who belongs to a wellknown family, one who has a sound knowledge of the Purâṇas, one who knows the dharma, a regular reader of the Vedas, and performer of japa, a devotee of Śiva, Pitṛi, Sun, Viṣṇu, and Brahmâ, a Yogi, one who is peaceful, one who can control his passions, one who is virtuous, especially a daughter's son, a friend, a preceptor, a typical sanyâsî, or the head of the Vaiśyas, a maternal uncle, a member of the community (kinsman), a Ṛitvija priest, a teacher, a Soma-sacrificer, a grammarian, a knower of the Mîmaṇsa doctrine about Sacrifices, one who performs Vedic sacrifices, one who knows the Sâmaveda and how to chant it, one who is so learned, respectable or eminent that his very presence may be considered to elevate and purify the people who sit to feast with him in the same row, the chanter of the Sâmaveda, a Brahmachârî, a professor of Vedas, one who knows Brahma, are the sort of people worthy of being invited to the śrâddha feast. Where such people are feasted, the śrâddha is real and earnest.—5-13. Note.—Dwija means twice-born. Everyone is born as a Śûdra and becomes twice-born on being invested with the sacred thread.
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Now it should be noted what class of people are to be discarded from such a feast.
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The fallen, the cursed, eunuchs, backbiters, those deformed by disease, those having deformed nails, those having yellow teeth, bastards, bastards of widows, horse-tamers, offspring of a younger brother married before an elder brother, those who offer themselves for service, those addicted to drunkenness, mad men, the hard-hearted, cheats, swindlers, the conceited, temple priests, the ungrateful, the atheist, inhabitants of a Mlechha country (Non-aryans), Triśaṅkus, of Barbara, and of Dravavîta, Draviḍa, of Koṅkana, and the Liṅgis (having prominent sectarian marks), should, under no circumstances, be invited to śrâddha feast.—14-17.
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The guests to the Śrâddha feast should be courteously invited the same day or a day previous to the feast. The Pitṛis accompany the invited twice-born, in the form of air, and sit along with them at the time of the feast. The host should go and invite his twice-born guest by touching his right knee and address him thus "thou hast been invited by me, accept my invitation." After thus addressing, he should remind the guest as well as his paternal kinsmen in these words:—"You should be without anger, observe purity and rules of continence the whole of this day, and I the performer of Śrâddha would also observe the same along with you."—18-20.
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One who maintains the sacrificial fire, should perform the Śrâddha after offering oblations of water called Tarpaṇa to the Pitṛis, as well as after offering of piṇḍas to them, on every Amâvasyâ.—21.
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Srâddha should be performed near a cow-pen or by a pool of water, after plastering the floor, which should be sloping towards the south, with cowdung. One who consecrates and maintains the sacred fire, should cook rice (charu), and after offering with equal handfuls and saying ("I am offering to the Piṭris)," should place everything toward the south.--22-23.
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Then he should sprinkle with ghee in front of the three nirvâpa plates. They should be of the same size, that is four fingers broad, and place on them balls of rice.—24.
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Three silver-mounted, smooth ladles, of acacia catechu, measuring one hand in length with closed fist, and having the form of the palm of hand at the end, should be made. After putting the sacred thread over the right shoulder, the person performing Śrâddha should put a water goblet, and a vessel of bell-metal, and mekṣaṇa (name of a sacrificial vessel), sacrificial wood, Kuśa, sesamum, leaf plates, sandal, new cloth and scent, incense, and sandal paste towards the south. After thus putting together the articles for worship, the worshipper should draw a circle by the urine of cow on the floor plastered with cowdung, and there he should worship the circle with unhusked rice and flowers. The worshipper should then wash the feet of his Brâhmaṇa guests with great respect and courtesy, and after offering them water for rinsing their mouth, should seat them on the kuśa mattings.—25-29.
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Two Brâhmaṇas should be fed at the time of offering oblations to Gods and three at the time of Piṭṛi worship, or one Brâhmaṇa may be fed on each occasion.—30.
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Even the rich man should not feast more than this number on this occasion. Water should first be offered to the Brâhmaṇa invited to take part in the rite of offering oblations to the Devas, and his feet should be washed first.—31.
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By the permission of the Brâhmaṇas, the worshipper, according to the rules of his Gṛihya Sûtras, should take the boiled rice (Charu), in a vessel of bell-metal and offer it to fire, the Moon, and Yama, in the Dakṣinâgni, or Ekâgni if he does not keep all the fires. He should perform Paryukṣaṇa with the sacred thread on the left shoulder, and one who knows all the rites should perform it with the sacred thread thrown on the right shoulder.—32--34.
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Note.—Paryukṣaṇa=sprinkling round water silently and without uttering any ritual formulæ.
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After that, six balls should be made of the remaining boiled rice and water mixed with sesamum, and offered with the left hand. Then the worshipper should sit on his left knee, with concentrated attention, and draw a line on the sacrificial altar with kuśa blade, and turning his face towards the south he should sprinkle water on the darbha grass with a ladle. After that, he should offer the balls of rice by putting a kuśa on the line drawn on the altar and by uttering the name and clan of the ancestor. Then he should wipe his hands with the kuśa and thus satisfy the Lepabhâgîs. (A paternal ancestor in the 4th, 5th and 6th degree).—35—38.
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Then water should again be sprinkled on the darbba grass and the six Pitṛis should be saluted and worshipped with incense, &c.—39.
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After thus invoking them by Vedic hymns, one, who is Ekâgni, should offer only one ball of rice with a ladle.—40.
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Note.—Ekâgni=one who performs agnihotra.
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After satisfying the male ancestors, offerings should be made to the female ancestors by means of the kuśa grass, who should also be invoked and dismissed in the same way.—41.
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Then he should take a little out of the balls of rice and offer it to the invited guests, according to precedence, making the first offer to the Brâhmaṇas.—42.
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Because the twice-born eat the particles from the rice-balls on the occasion of the Amâvasya feast, it is called Anvâhârya.—43.
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First of all, the twice-born invited to the feast, should be given rings of kuśa grass to wear on their ring fingers, and then a portion of the ball of rice should be presented to them, after putting a little water and sesamum in their hand by uttering Swadhaiṣâmastu.—44.
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Note.—Swadhaiṣâmastu=Here is the food to the manes personified.
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At the time of feasting the invited guests, the host should enquire whether they relish the food. He should on no account be in angry mood. He should concentrate his mind on Nârâyana Hari.—45.
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After the invited (Brâhmaṇa) guests are satisfied, the host should, on unsanctified earth, place food with water and rice for the acceptance of all classes. This is called Vikira (scattering).—46.
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After the invited guests have washed their hands and mouths, the host should place water, flowers and unhusked rice in their hands, and ask them to sprinkle it on the balls of rice offered to the Pitṛis, pronouncing Swastu (Be comfortable).—47.
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The Gods should also be satisfied on the occasion of the performance of Śrâddha; for otherwise Śrâddha is not complete. The Brâhmaṇa guests invited, should be circumambulated before being respectfully dismissed. 48.
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Facing south, the following boon should be sought from the Pitṛis : "You may continue to be our donors. The Vedas may exist, and our progeny may prosper. Let our devotion not diminish, we may have ample wealth to give to the needy, we may have plenty of grain, we may be visited by many guests. People may ask for help from us, we may not have to seek anything from others." This is the Anvâhârya Śrâddha, which is also called Pârvaṇa.—49—51.
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The Kâmya or the third kind of Srâddha should be performed also in the same manner as the Pârvaṇa Śrâddha described above. It should be performed on Amâvasyâ. The balls of rice should afterwards be given to cows, goats, Brâhmaṇas, or should be thrown into fire or water, or they should be made over to birds.—52—53.
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The ball of rice in the middle should be given to the wife of the host (this is the peculiarity in this Śrâddha). It begets progeny. She should eat the ball of rice after pronouncing the following words: "Âdhatta pitaro garbhamatra santâna vardhanam" (Piṭris grant to me progeny that would continue the line of the house). The host should remain standing till the Brâhmaṇas depart. He should then perform the remaining rites.—54.
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After the Srâddha rites are over, the host should make an offering to Vaiśvadevas by presenting oblations to fire, and then he should enjoy a hearty repast in company of his friends, concentrating his mind on the Piṭṛis.—55.
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That day one who performs Śrâddha, as well as those who partake in the Śrâddha feast, should not take their food twice. They should not go out of the village when the Śrâddha is performed. They should neither use any conveyance nor approach their wives.—56.
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The Veda should not be read on that day; the worshipper should not quarrel with anyone, nor should he sleep in course of the day. This is how Śrâddha should be performed.—57.
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In this way, an Agnihotri should perform Śrâddha in the dark fortnights of the months when the sun is in the sign of Virgo, Aquarius, and Taurus. Whenever the Sapiṇḍi karaṇa Śrâddha is to be performed, there also the above ceremonial should be observed by one who keeps the sacred fire.—58.
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Here ends the sixteenth Chapter dealing with the ritual of sráddhas in the case of those who maintain the sacred fire.
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NOTE.
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The following note on Srâddhas is from Professor Wilson's Viṣṇu Purâna.
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The offerings of the Hindus to the Pitṛis partake of the character of those of the Romans to the lares and manes, but bear a more conspicuous part in their ritual. They are said, indeed, by Manu (III., 203), in words repeated in the Vâyu and Matsya Puráṇas, and Hari Vamśa, to be of more moment than the worship of the gods: देवकार्यादपि सदा पितृकार्यं विशिष्यते ।
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These ceremonies are not to be regarded as merely obsequial; for, independently of the rites addressed to a recently deceased relative,—and, in connexion with him, to remote ancestors, and to the progenitors of all beings,—which are of a strictly obsequial or funeral description, offerings to deceased ancestors, and the Pitris in general, form an essential ceremony, on a great variety of festive and domestic occasions. The Nirnaya Sindhu, in a passage referred to by Mr. Colebrooke (Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII.), specifies the following Śrâddhas: 1. The Nitya, or perpetual; daily offerings to ancestors in general: 2. The Naimittika, or occasional; as the Ekoddishṭa, or obsequial offerings on account of a kinsman recently deceased: 3. The Kâmya, voluntary; performed for the accomplishment of a special desire, such as for the birth of a son: 4. The Vriddhi; performed on occasions of rejoicing or prosperity: 5. The Sapiṇḍana; offerings to all individual and to general ancestors: 6. The Parvana Śráddha; offerings to the manes, on certain lunar days called Parvanas, or day of full moon and new moon, and the eighth and fourteenth days of the lunar fortnight: 7. The Goshthí for the advantage of a number of learned persons, or of an assembly of Brahmans, invited for the purpose: 8. The Śuddhí; one performed to purify a person from some defilement,—an expiatory Śráddha: 9. The Karmánga; one forming part of the initiatory ceremonies, or Saṃskáras, observed at conception, birth, tonsure, &c.: 10. The Daivika; to which the gods are invited: 11. The Yátrá Śráddha; held by a person going a journey: and, 12. The Pushti Sraddha; one performed to promote health and wealth. Of these, the four which are considered the most solemn are the rite performed for a parent, or near relative, lately deceased; that which is performed for kindred, collectively; that observed on certain lunar days; and that celebrated on occasions of rejoicing. Nirnaya Sindhu, p. 172.
Linked texts (1)
- Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit