अमा वसेतामृक्षे तु यदा चन्द्रदिवाकरौ एका पञ्चदशी रात्रिर् अमावास्या ततः स्मृता
When the sun and moon dwell together in the same constellation, that fifteenth night is called Amāvāsyā, the new moon.
उद्दिश्य ताममावास्यां यदा दर्शं समागतौ अन्योन्यं चन्द्रसूर्यौ तु दर्शनाद्दर्श उच्यते
When, referring to that Amāvāsyā, the sun and moon come together in conjunction, their mutual appearance is called 'Darśa' because of their visibility.
द्वौ द्वौ लवावमावास्यां स कालः पर्वसंधिषु द्व्यक्षरः कुहूमात्रश्च पर्वकालस्तु स स्मृतः
On Amāvāsyā, two lavas (moments) are considered at the junctions of the lunar phases; this is called the two-syllabled Kuhū, and that time is known as the festival juncture.
दृष्टचन्द्रा त्वमावास्या मध्याह्नप्रभृतीह वै दिवा तदूर्ध्वं रात्र्यां तु सूर्ये प्राप्ते तु चन्द्रमाः सूर्येण सहसोद्गच्छेत् ततः प्रातस्तनात्तु वै
The Amāvāsyā when the moon is seen from midday onward during the day, and thereafter at night, when the sun arrives, the moon rises together with the sun; thus, it is in the morning.
समागम्य लवौ द्वौ तु मध्याह्नान्निपतन्रविः प्रतिपच्छुक्लपक्षस्य चन्द्रमाः सूर्यमण्डलात्
When, after midday, the sun sets having joined with two lavas, the moon of the bright fortnight emerges from the solar disc.
निर्मुच्यमानयोर्मध्ये तयोर्मण्डलयोस्तु वै स तदान्वाहुतेः कालो दर्शस्य च वषट्क्रियाः एतदृतुमुखं ज्ञेयम् अमावास्यां तु पार्वणम्
When the two orbs are being released from each other, in between them, that is the time for the Anvāhāri offering and the Vaṣaṭ rituals of Darśa; this is to be known as the season's commencement, and the festival time on Amāvāsyā.
दिवा पर्व त्वमावास्यां क्षीणेन्दौ धवले तु वै तस्माद्दिवा त्वमावास्यां गृह्यते यो दिवाकरः
When the moon is waning and pale on Amāvāsyā during the day, that is why the daytime Amāvāsyā is taken as the one in which the sun is present.
कुहेति कोकिलेनोक्तं यस्मात्कालात्समाप्यते तत्कालसंज्ञिता ह्येषा अमावास्या कुहूः स्मृता
It is called 'Kuhū' by the cuckoo, because at that time it is completed; therefore, this Amāvāsyā is known as Kuhū, named after that time.
सिनीवालीप्रमाणं तु क्षीणशेषो निशाकरः अमावास्या विशत्यर्कं सिनीवाली तदा स्मृता
When only a slender remnant of the moon remains, like the measure of Sinīvālī, Amāvāsyā enters the sun; at that time, it is called Sinīvālī.
अनुमतिश्च राका च सिनीवाली कुहूस्तथा एतासां द्विलवः कालः कुहूमात्रा कुहूः स्मृता
Anumati, Rākā, Sinīvālī, and Kuhū—these four; the two-lava period is called Kuhū, and Kuhū is known by that measure.
इत्येष पर्वसंधीनां कालो वै द्विलवः स्मृतः पर्वणां तुल्यकालस्तु तुल्याहुतिवषट्क्रियाः
Thus, the time between the junctions of the lunar phases is said to be two lavas; the duration of the lunar days is equal, as are the offerings and the utterance of 'vaṣaṭ'.
चन्द्रभूर्यव्यतीपाते समे वै पूर्णिमे उभे प्रतिपत्प्रतिपन्नस्तु पर्वकालो द्विमात्रकः
When the moon and sun are in conjunction or opposition, and on both the full and new moon days, the period called parva is of double measure.
कालः कुहूसिनीवाल्योः समुद्धो द्विलवः स्मृतः अर्कनिर्मण्डले सोमे पर्वकालः कलाः स्मृताः
The time at the conjunctions called Kuhu and Sinivali is considered to be two lavas; at the sun's node and with the moon, the parva time is reckoned in kalās.
यस्माद् आपूर्यते सोमः पञ्चदश्यां तु पूर्णिमा दशभिः पञ्चभिश्चैव कलाभिर्दिवसक्रमात्
Because the moon becomes full on the fifteenth day, the full moon is completed by ten and five kalās, in the order of days.
तस्मात्पञ्चदशे सोमे कला वै नास्ति षोडशी तस्मात्सोमस्य विप्रोक्तः पञ्चदश्यां मया क्षयः
Therefore, on the fifteenth day, the moon does not have a sixteenth kalā; thus, I have declared the waning of the moon on the fifteenth day.
इत्येते पितरो देवाः सोमपाः सोमवर्धनाः आर्तवा ऋतवो ऽथाब्दा देवास्तान्भावयन्ति हि
Thus, these ancestors, the gods who drink Soma and increase Soma, are the seasons and the year; the gods indeed sustain them.
अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि पितॄञ्छ्राद्धभुजस्तु ये तेषां गतिं च सत्तत्वं प्राप्तिं श्राद्धस्य चैव हि
Now I shall explain further about the ancestors who partake of śrāddha, their path, their essential nature, and the attainment resulting from śrāddha.
न मृतानां गतिः शक्या ज्ञातुं वा पुनरागतिः तपसा हि प्रसिद्धेन किं पुनर्मांसचक्षुषा
The path of the departed cannot be known, nor their return; even by renowned austerity, how much less by the physical eye.
अत्र देवान्पितॄंश्चैते पितरो लौकिकाः स्मृताः तेषां ते धर्मसामर्थ्यात् स्मृताः सायुज्यगा द्विजैः
Here, these ancestors are considered worldly ancestors of the gods and pitṛs; by the power of their righteousness, they are said by the twice-born to attain union.
यदि वाश्रमधर्मेण प्रज्ञानेषु व्यवस्थितान् अन्ये चात्र प्रसीदन्ति श्रद्धायुक्तेषु कर्मसु
Or, by the dharma of the āśramas, those established in knowledge, and others here who are pleased by actions performed with faith.
ब्रह्मचर्येण तपसा यज्ञेन प्रजया भुवि श्राद्धेन विद्यया चैव चान्नदानेन सप्तधा
By celibacy, austerity, sacrifice, offspring on earth, śrāddha, learning, and giving of food—thus in seven ways.
कर्मस्वेतेषु ये सक्ता वर्तन्त्य् आ देहपातनात् देवैस्ते पितृभिः सार्धम् ऊष्मपैः सोमपैस्तथा स्वर्गता दिवि मोदन्ते पितृमन्त उपासते
Those who are attached to these actions continue until the fall of the body; with the gods and the pitṛs who partake of warmth and Soma, having attained heaven, they rejoice and worship the pitṛs.
प्रजावतां प्रसिद्धैषा उक्ता श्राद्धकृतां च वै तेषां निवापे दत्तं हि तत्कुलीनैस्तु बान्धवैः
This is declared as the well-known path of those with offspring and those who perform śrāddha; the offering made for them by their relatives of the same family.
मासश्राद्धं हि भुञ्जानास् तेऽत्येते सोमलौकिकाः एते मनुष्याः पितरो मासश्राद्धभुजस्तु वै
Those who partake of the monthly śrāddha surpass the Soma-worldly ancestors; these human ancestors are indeed the eaters of the monthly śrāddha.
तेभ्यो ऽपरे तु ये त्वन्ये संकीर्णाः कर्मयोनिषु भ्रष्टाश्चाश्रमधर्मेषु स्वधास्वाहाविवर्जिताः
But others, who are mixed in their actions and births, who have fallen from the dharma of the āśramas, and who are deprived of svadhā and svāhā offerings—
भिन्ने देहे दुरापन्नाः प्रेतभूता यमक्षये स्वकर्माण्यनुशोचन्तो यातनास्थानमागताः
Having lost their bodies and come to a difficult state, they become pretas at the abode of Yama, lamenting their own deeds, having reached the place of torment.
दीर्घाश्चैवातिशुष्काश्च श्मश्रुलाश्च विवाससः क्षुत्पिपासाभिभूतास्ते विद्रवन्ति त्वितस्ततः
Long and exceedingly emaciated, with disheveled hair and naked, afflicted by hunger and thirst, they wander here and there.
सरित्सरस्तडागानि पुष्करिण्यश्च सर्वशः परान्नान्यभिकाङ्क्षन्तः काल्यमाना इतस्ततः
All the rivers, lakes, and ponds, and all the lotus pools—they roam about, longing for others' food, being driven here and there.
स्थानेषु पात्यमाना ये यातनास्थेषु तेषु वै शाल्मल्यां वैतरण्यां च कुम्भीपाकेद्धवालुके
Those who are cast into places of torment—such as the Śālmalī tree, the Vaitaraṇī river, the cauldron of Kumbhīpāka, and the burning sands—
असिपत्त्रवने चैव पात्यमानाः स्वकर्मभिः तत्रस्थानां तु तेषां वै दुःखितानाम् अशायिनाम्
And those who are thrown into the forest of sword-leaves by their own actions, among the suffering and sleepless inhabitants of those realms—