History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.460

v5.c73.t1.460

Pitṛmedhasūtra III. 12.12, in this śrāddha there is invitation to the brāhmaṇas the previous day, there is agnaukaraṇa, there is the recital of Vedic texts when the brāhmaṇas are engaged in eating, Vaiśvadeva brāhmaṇas are honoured, the Viśvedevas are Kāma and Kāla (vide n. 1018), there is the presentation of incense and lamp, there is *svadhā* and also *namaskāra*. Four vessels for *arghya* should be got ready and filled with sandalwood paste, water and sesamum grains, one being for the deceased (the *preta*) and three for his paternal ancestors, two *daiva* brāhmaṇas should be invited, one to represent the *preta* and three to represent the three paternal ancestors of the *preta*; if a man is unable to invite so many brāhmaṇas, he should invite three, one for Viśvedevas, one for the *preta* and one for the three paternal ancestors. He should request ‘I shall unite the vessel for the *preta* with the vessels for his three paternal ancestors’ When permitted in the words ‘do unite’, he should cast the kuśas in the vessel for the *preta* into the vessels for his three paternal ancestors, should keep a little water mixed with kuśas in the vessel for the *preta* and distribute the rest of the water from the *preta* vessel into the three vessels for his ancestors with the two mantras1169a ‘ye samānā’ (Vāj. S. 19. 45-46) Arghya is offered to the brāhmaṇa representing the preta with the water that remains in the preta vessel, arghya is offered to the three *pitrya* brāhmaṇas from the three pitrya vessels. Four piṇḍas should be prepared, one for the *preta* and three for his ancestors and then the performer requests ‘I shall unite the pretapiṇḍa with the piṇḍas for the three ancestors of his’; when permitted in the words ‘do unite’, the performer divides the pretapiṇḍa into three parts and puts each third into each of the three piṇḍas with the same two mantras (Vāj. S 19. 45-46). The Garuḍapurāṇa (I. 220.6) strikes a discordant note in that it states that the pretapiṇḍa is to be divided in two parts, each of which is to be placed inside the piṇḍas for pitāmaha and prapitāmaha only.