History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.549
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.549
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v5.c73.t1.549
The provision of a śrāddha for a living person offered by himself is a perversion of the ancient idea of śrāddha. The basic and fundamental conception of a śrāddha was to gratify the spirits of deceased ancestors. People had gone crazy with the idea of śrāddhas and invented this new mode to satisfy that craze. I have known persons that performed Jīvat-śrāddha, though they had sons, younger brothers and nephews who would have certainly performed śrāddhas for them on their death.