Garuda Purana

दिव्यं विमानमारुह्य अप्सरोभिः समावृतः । अहोऽसौ हव्यकव्येषु पितृभिः सह मोदते ॥ २,३४.

Ascending a divine aerial chariot, surrounded by apsarās, he delights there with his ancestors in the offerings of oblations and food.

अष्टकासु कृतं श्राद्धममावास्यादिने तथा । मघासु पितृपर्वाणि यानियानि च तेषु च ॥ २,३४.

The śrāddha performed on the day of the new moon, as well as during the aṣṭakā days, and on the pitṛparvan days in the Maghā constellation, and on all such occasions, is to be observed.

शृणु तार्क्ष्य यथान्यायं प्रेतत्वे पितरो यदि । नोपतिष्ठन्ति श्राद्धानि सपिण्डीकरणं विना ॥ २,३४.

Hear, O Tārkṣya, according to proper order: if the ancestors are in the state of departed spirits, they do not accept śrāddha offerings without the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa ceremony.

सपिण्डीकरणं कार्यं पूर्णे वर्षे न संशयः । आद्यन्तु शवशुद्ध्यर्थं कृत्वा चैवाक्ष षोडशीम् ॥ २,३४.

The sapiṇḍīkaraṇa ceremony must be performed at the completion of one year, without doubt; and first, for the purification of the corpse, the sixteen śrāddhas should be conducted.

पितृपाङ्क्तिविशुर्ध्यं शतार्धेन? तु योजयेत् । वृद्धिं प्राप्याग्रतः कुर्याच्छूद्रस्य स्वच्छयैव हि ॥ २,३४.

For purification of the pitṛpāṅkti, one should employ half a hundred (fifty); having attained increase, one should perform it first; for a Śūdra, it is done according to his own discretion.

साम्प्रतं साग्निके कार्यं द्वादशाहे सपिण्डनम् । न चासौ कुरुते यावत्प्रेत एव स वह्निमान् । द्वादशाहे ततः कार्यं साग्निकेन सपिण्डनम् ॥ २,३४.

At present, the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa should be performed with fire on the twelfth day; until then, the departed remains a preta, possessing fire; after the twelfth day, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa with fire must be performed.

अस्थिपोक्षे गयाश्राद्धं श्राद्धञ्चापरपक्षिकम् । अब्दमध्ये न कुर्वीत सपिण्डीकरणं विना ॥ २,३४.

During the asthipokṣa, the Gayā śrāddha and the śrāddha of the other fortnight should not be performed within the year without the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa ceremony.

सपत्न्यो यदि बह्व्यः स्युरेका पुत्रवती भवेत् । सर्वास्ताः पुत्रवत्यः स्युस्तेनैकेनात्मजेन हि ॥ २,३४.

If there are many co-wives and one has a son, then all of them are considered to have sons through that one son.

नासपिण्डोग्निमान् पुत्रः पितृयज्ञं समाचरेत् । समाचाराद्भवेत्पापी पितृहा चापि जायते ॥ २,३४.

A son who is not a sapiṇḍa and who possesses fire should not perform the ancestral sacrifice; by performing it improperly, he becomes sinful and is born as a slayer of ancestors.

मृते भर्तरि या नारी प्राणांश्चैव परित्यजेत् । भर्त्रैव हि समं तस्याः प्रकुर्वीत सपिण्डनम् ॥ २,३४.

When the husband dies, the woman who gives up her life together with him, for her, the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa should be performed together with the husband.

अस्थानिकापि या व्यूढा वैश्या वा क्षत्त्रियापि वा । याः पत्न्यो वै पितुः कश्चित्कुर्यात्पुत्रः सपिण्डनम् ॥ २,३४.

Even if she is not in her proper place, whether married, or a Vaiśya, or a Kṣatriya, whichever wives belong to the father, the son should perform sapiṇḍīkaraṇa for them.

विप्रेणैव यदा शूद्रा परिणीता प्रमादतः । एकोद्दिष्टन्तु तच्छ्राद्ध सा तु तेनैव युज्यते ॥ २,३४.

When a Śūdra woman is married by a Brāhmaṇa out of ignorance, only the single śrāddha offering is to be made; she is joined only with that.

अन्ये तु दश ये पुत्रा जाता वर्ण चतुष्टये । ते तासुतासु योक्त्वयाः सपिण्डीकरणे सदा ॥ २,३४.

The other ten sons born in the four castes should always be joined with their respective mothers in the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa ceremony.

अन्वष्टकासु यच्छ्राद्ध यच्छ्राद्धं वृद्धिहेतुकम् । पितुः पृथक्प्रदाव्यं स्त्रियाः पिण्डं सपिण्डने ॥ २,३४.

The śrāddha performed during the anvaṣṭakā days and the śrāddha performed for increase should be given separately for the father; the offering for the woman is to be included in sapiṇḍīkaraṇa.

पितामह्या समं मातुः पितुः सहपितामहैः । सपिण्डीकरणं कार्यमिति तार्क्ष्य मतं मम ॥ २,३४.

The sapiṇḍīkaraṇa should be performed for the paternal grandmother together with the mother, and for the father along with the paternal grandfathers; this, O Tārkṣya, is my opinion.

अपुत्रायां मृतायां तु पतिः कुर्यात्सपिण्डनम् । मात्रादितिसृभिः सार्धमेवं धर्मेण योजयेत् ॥ २,३४.

If a woman dies without a son, the husband should perform sapiṇḍīkaraṇa for her, joining her with the mother and the other two women, according to dharma.

पुत्रो नास्ति न भर्ता च स्त्रीणां तार्क्ष्य सपिण्डनम् । कारयेद्वृद्धिसमये भ्रातृदायाददेवरैः ॥ २,३४.

If there is no son and no husband for women, O Tārkṣya, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa should be performed at the time of increase by brothers, heirs, or brothers-in-law.

पतिपुत्रविहीनानां गोत्री नास्ति न देवरः । एकोद्दिष्टेन दातव्यं परेण सह भ्रातृभिः ॥ २,३४.

For those lacking husband and son, if there is no relative or brother-in-law, the single śrāddha offering should be given by another, together with the brothers.

अज्ञानाद्विघ्नतो वापि न कृतञ्चेत्सपिण्डनम् । नवकं षोडशश्राद्धमाब्दिकं कारयेत्ततः ॥ २,३४.

If, due to ignorance or obstacles, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa has not been performed, then the nine, sixteen, and annual śrāddhas should be conducted thereafter.

अदाहे न च कर्तव्यं सदाहे कारयेद्बुधः । दर्भपुत्तलकं कृत्वा वह्निना दाहयेच्छवम् ॥ २,३४.

When cremation is not performed, it should not be done; when cremation is performed, the wise should carry it out. Having made an effigy of darbha grass, one should burn the corpse with fire.

पितुः पुत्रेण कर्तव्यं न कुर्ब्वीत पिता सुते । अतिस्नेहान्न कर्तव्यं सपिण्डीकरणं सते ॥ २,३४.

The son must perform the rites for the father; the father should not do them for the son. Out of excessive affection, one should not perform the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa for a living son.

बहवोऽपि यदा पुत्रा विधिमेकः समाचरेत् । नवश्राद्धं सपिण्डत्वं श्राद्धान्यन्यानि षोडश ॥ २,३४.

Even if there are many sons, only one should carry out the prescribed rites: the nine śrāddhas, the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, and the sixteen other śrāddha ceremonies.

एकेनैव तु कार्यांणि अविभक्तधनेष्वपि । अन्त्येष्टिं कुरुते ह्येको मुनिभैः समुदाहृतम् ॥ २,३४.

Even when the inheritance is undivided, only one should perform the rites. The final obsequies are to be conducted by one, as declared by the sages.

विभक्तैश्च पृथक्कार्या क्रिया सांवत्सरादिका । एकैकेन च कर्तव्या पुत्रेण च स्वयंस्वयम् ॥ २,३४.

When the inheritance is divided, the annual and other rites should be performed separately. Each son must perform them individually, on his own.

यस्यैतानि न दत्तानि प्रेतश्राद्धानि षोडश । पिशाचत्वंस्थिरं तस्य कृतैः श्राद्धशतैरपि ॥ २,३४.

For one who has not given these sixteen śrāddhas for the departed, a state of being a piśāca remains fixed, even if hundreds of śrāddhas are performed later.

भ्राता वा भ्रातृपुत्रो वा सपिण्डः शिष्य एव वा । सपिण्डीकरणं कुर्यात्पुत्रहीने खगेश्वर ॥ २,३४.

O King of Birds, if there is no son, a brother, a brother’s son, a sapiṇḍa, or even a disciple should perform the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa.

सर्वेषां पुत्रहीनानां पत्री कुर्यात्सपिण्डनम् । ऋत्विजं करायेद्वाथ पुरोहितमथापि वा ॥ २,३४.

For all those without sons, a relative should perform the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa. Alternatively, one may appoint a priest or a family purohita to do it.

मृते पितर्यब्दमध्ये ह्युपरागो यदा भवेत् । पार्वणं न सुतैः कार्यं श्राद्धं नान्दीमुखं न च ॥ २,३४.

If the father dies and impurity arises within the year, the sons should not perform the fortnightly śrāddha or the nāndīmukha śrāddha.

तीर्थश्राद्धं गयाश्राद्धं श्राद्धमन्यच्च पैतृकम् । अब्दमध्ये न कुर्वीत महागुरुविपत्तिषु ॥ २,३४.

Tīrtha śrāddha, Gayā śrāddha, and other ancestral śrāddhas should not be performed within the year, except in cases of great calamity.