History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.409

v5.c73.t1.409

From considerations of space the procedure of pārvaṇa śrāddha among Hiraṇyakeśins in modern times is passed over here. Moreover, it closely resembles the procedure in Āśv. Gṛ. set out above, the principal difference being that some of the mantras are different. The 'Saṁskāraratnamālā of Gopinātha' deals with this from p. 985 onwards But one noticeable feature of this last work is that of making hair-splitting distinctions. On p. 985 it refers to two śrāddhas (other than piṇḍa-pitṛ-yajña) to be performed on amāvāsyā, viz. *māsi-śrāddha* and *māsika-śrāddha*, the first being described by the Dharmasūtra of Hiraṇyakeśin and the second by the Gṛhyasūtra. Gopinātha further says that māsikaśrāddha is the model of the other śrāddhas described in the Gṛhyasūtra and māsiśrāddha is the model of śrāddhas described in the Dharmaśāstras, such as Mahālayaśrāddha or Saṁvatsarika-śrāddha, that Darśaśrāddha itself is māsi-śrāddha (p. 988) and that māsika-śrāddha may be performed on each darśa or on any one darśa day in a year and that māsi-śrāddha follows immediately after Piṇḍapitṛyajña as laid down by Manu (III. 122) and māsikaśrāddha may be performed after māsi-śrāddha. In modern times no one performs māsiśrāddha or māsika-śrāddha strictly in accordance with the ancient rules. Śrāddha is supposed to be performed by feeding a brāhmaṇa and giving him a dakṣiṇā of a few annas. The Śrāddhatattva (Jiv., part 1 p. 254) provides, after quoting Matsya and Bhaviṣya, that, if a person is unable to perform a pārvaṇaśrāddha every month, he should perform one at least thrice a year when the sun is in the zodiacal signs of Kanyā, Kumbha and Vṛṣabha and that if he is unable to perform even thrice then he should perform at least once when the sun is in the sign of Kanyā.