History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.t1.565

v5.c73.t1.565

Provision is made if the performance of a śrāddha is rendered impossible by some obstacle. Ṛṣyaśṛṅga provides ¹²³³ 'if impurity (on death) intervenes when a śrāddha is to be offered to the pitṛs, śrāddha should be offered at the end of the period of impurity. If an obstacle arises at the time when an ekoddiṣṭa is to be performed, the śrāddha should be performed in another month on the same *tithi*'. This last refers to a monthly śrāddha. If any of the sixteen śrāddhas fails owing to an obstacle it should be performed on the amāvāsyā or better still on the 11th day of the dark half. If there is an obstacle owing to impurity on death in the performance of a monthly śrāddha or yearly śrāddha it should be performed at the end of the impurity or on amāvāsyā.¹²³⁴ The Padmapurāṇa (Pātālakhaṇḍa 101. 68-70) provides similar rules. If the obstacle is the performer's illness or his inability to collect materials or his wife being in her monthly illness, he may offer āmaśrāddha described above.