History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.249

v5.c73.t1.249

A certain order of words about referring to the ancestors in offering a seat, offering kuśas on seat, and *arghya* is laid down by Bṛhaspati,¹⁰²¹ some of the purāṇas and the digests. As almost in every case there are different views here also. Bṛhaspati says: 'when giving a seat, when offering *arghya*, or piṇḍas, in offering ablutions of water on piṇḍas, the performer has to declare his relation to each of the ancestors, the names and *gotras* of the ancestors and also the form in which each of the ancestors is to be contemplated (viz as Vasu, Rudra, Āditya respectively). It is further laid down that the genitive is to be employed for the ancestor's name in offering a seat (to the *pitrya* brāhmaṇa) and *akṣayyodaka*, the objective in invoking the pitṛs, the dative in offering food, the vocative in other cases.