History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.337

v5.c73.t1.337

One question that exercised the minds of well-known writers was whether the daily *Vaiśvadeva* should be performed before starting the śrāddha ceremonies or after the latter were finished. We have to remember first that several works state that rites for pitṛs deserve pre-eminence over those for the gods¹⁰⁸⁹. Manu (III 265) states¹⁰⁹⁰ that after the brāhmaṇas have been dismissed the performer of śrāddha shall offer the (daily) domestic *bali* offering and that this is the settled rule of dharma. Medhātithi explains that the word 'bali' is merely illustrative. The Matsyapurāṇa¹⁰⁹¹ 17 61, the Varāhapurāṇa (14.43), Skanda VII. 1. 266. 101–102, Devala, Kārṣṇājini and others provide that after the rites for the fathers are finished Vaiśvadeva should be performed. When Vaiśvadeva is performed after the completion of śrāddha rites, it is to be offered from the food that remains after being utilized for the śrāddha dinner. But Hemādri (pp. 1058–1065) holds a long discussion and arrives at the following conclusions In the case of an *āhitāgni* (p. 1064), Vaiśvadeva is to be performed before śrāddha except in the case of the śrāddha on the 11th day after death. In the case of one who has not kept the sacred fires there are three optional times for Vaiśvadeva, viz. after *agnaukaraṇa* or after the *vikira* (scattering of food on darbhas for those dying without the *saṁskāras* being performed for them), or after the brāhmaṇas are dismissed on the completion of the śrāddha (p 1064). If Vaiśvadeva is to be performed before śrāddha or in the midst of it, then the cooking of food must be done separately for Vaiśvadeva and for śrāddha. In the case of all, whether *sāgnika* or *anagnika*, Vaiśvadeva must be performed with the remainder of the food left after use in śrāddha, if the former is performed after the latter. There were sages like Paithīnasi¹⁰⁹² that held that Vaiśvadeva should not be performed with the food cooked for śrāddha without first offering the food to the brāhmaṇas invited for śrādda dinner i e. Vaiśvadeva must be performed after śrāddha if the same food is to be used for the former. The Nirṇayasindhu (III. p. 459) states that as most smṛtis place the performance of Vaiśvadeva after śrāddha and as many writers of commentaries and digests such as Medhātithi and Smṛtiratnāvali do the same all should perform Vaiśvadeva after finishing śrāddha.