History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c72.86

v5.c72.86

It should be noted that the word ‘pitr-yajña’ actually occurs in Ṛg. X. 16. 10. What does it mean? It has to be remembered that the hymns Ṛg. X. 15-18 refer to rites immediately on the death of a single person. They are not concerned with rites performed for deceased male ancestors long after their deaths. The anxiety (in X. 15-18) seems to be to make the ancient pitṛs (styled Barhiṣadaḥ and Agniṣvāttāḥ in Ṛg. X. 15. 3-4, 11) favourably disposed to the recently departed spirit. *Havis* (sacrificial food such as boiled rice) was offered to the ancient pitṛs (Ṛg. X. 15. 11) who were supposed to have partaken of the food offered (X. 15. 12). The purpose of these Ṛgvedic hymns is entirely different from the purpose of the mantras in Tai. S. I. 8. 5 (which refer to the pitṛyajña performed in Sākamedha). As a matter of fact three of the mantras in Tai. S. I. 8. 5 do occur in Ṛg. X. 57. 3-5 and are employed in the piṇḍa-pitṛyajña. There is hardly any reason to suppose that the pitṛyajña in Ṛg. X. 15. 10 is more ancient than the piṇḍapitṛyajña. It is quite possible that both referring as they do to different matters were coeval.