प्रेतस्य देहपुष्ट्यर्थं ब्राह्मणैकं तु भोजयेत्। दानं दद्याच्च विधिवद्वस्त्रं पीठं च पादुकाम्
For the nourishment of the departed's body, one should feed a single Brahmin, and properly give cloth, a seat, and sandals as gifts.
सर्वोपकरणैस्तुल्यं धरादिगजवाजिकम्। कृष्णां गां च प्रदद्यात्तु सर्वपापविमुक्तये
He should give, with all necessary items, including land, elephants, and horses, and a black cow, for complete liberation from all sins.
चतुर्थाहे त्रिपक्षे च षण्मासे चाब्दिके तथा। द्वादश प्रतिमास्यानि श्राद्धान्ये तानि षोडश
On the fourth day, after three fortnights, after six months, and after a year, twelve śrāddha ceremonies are to be performed, making sixteen in total.
यस्यैतानि न संतीह यथाशक्ति च श्रद्धया। पिशाचत्वं स्थिरं तस्य दत्तैः श्राद्धशतैरपि
If a person does not perform these, or does so only to the best of his ability and with faith, he remains as a ghost, even if a hundred śrāddhas are given.
अब्दमंबुघटं दद्यादन्नं चामिषसंयुतं। नित्यानित्यमभावाच्च क्षपन्मासं क्षमापयेत्
He should give a water-pot for the year, and food mixed with meat; due to the impermanence of all things, he should complete the monthly rites.
सपिंडीकरणश्राद्धं गते संवत्सरे बुधः। पार्वणस्य विधानेन कारयेद्द्विजसत्तमः
When a year has passed, the wise should perform the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa śrāddha according to the rules of the full-moon rite, O best of twice-born.
पितुरब्दमशौचं स्यान्मातुः षण्मासमेव च। त्रिमासं तु स्त्रियश्चैव तदर्द्धं भ्रातृपुत्रयोः
The impurity period for a father is one year, for a mother six months, for a woman three months, and for a brother or son half that time.
सपिंडानामशौचं स्याद्यावद्गेहे स तिष्ठति। पुत्रस्य यन्निषिद्धं तु शृणु तात वदाम्यहम्
The impurity for sapiṇḍas lasts as long as he remains in the house; now hear, dear one, what is forbidden for the son.
ब्रह्मचारी सदाचारी न गच्छेच्च स्त्रियं क्वचित्। सप्तघट्याः परं चैव नवघट्याश्च पूर्वतः
A student devoted to celibacy and good conduct should never approach a woman; after the seventh ghaṭī and before the ninth, he should not go.
स कालः कुतपो ज्ञेयः पितॄणां दत्तमक्षयम्। श्राद्धे त्रीणि पवित्राणि दौहित्रं कुतपस्तिलाः
That time is to be known as kutapa, when offerings to the ancestors become inexhaustible; at a śrāddha, three things are pure: the daughter's son, kutapa time, and sesame seeds.
त्रीणि चात्र प्रशंसंति सत्यमक्रोधमत्वराम्। सायं संध्यां परान्नं च पुनर्भोजनमैथुनम्
Here three things are praised: truthfulness, absence of anger, and lack of haste; evening twilight, food from another, eating again, and sexual union are to be avoided.
दानं प्रतिग्रहं चैव श्राद्धं कृत्वा विवर्जयेत्। अकर्तव्यशतं कृत्वा श्राद्धं कुर्याद्विचक्षणः
One should avoid giving and receiving gifts, and performing śrāddha at improper times; but a wise person may perform śrāddha even after committing a hundred forbidden acts.
तच्च कर्तव्यतामेति स्वयमुक्तं विरिंचिना। शृणु पुत्र पुरावृत्तं बहूनां च वदाम्यहम्
That becomes a duty, as declared by Brahmā himself; listen, my son, I will tell you of ancient events and of many others.
गुरोर्गोहननं कृत्वा ददुः श्राद्धं ययुर्दिवम्। तेषां च कीर्त्तनादेव श्राद्धं भवति चाक्षयम्
Having killed their teacher’s favorite cow, they performed śrāddha and ascended to heaven; even by recounting their story, the śrāddha becomes inexhaustible.
वसिष्ठस्य मुनेः शिष्या ब्राह्मणास्सप्त सुव्रताः। पितृश्राद्धे समायाते होमधेनुं गुरोः प्रियाम्
The seven virtuous Brahmin disciples of sage Vasiṣṭha, when the ancestral rite approached, desired their teacher’s beloved sacrificial cow.
प्रार्थयित्वा गृहं नीत्वा सप्तभिर्भ्रातृभिर्मुदा। गव्यार्थं पितृयज्ञे तां धेनुं हत्वा विमृश्य च
After requesting and joyfully taking her home with their seven brothers, they killed the cow for the ancestral sacrifice, reflecting on the act.
ददुर्मांसं च विप्रे च शेषं विप्रांस्त्वभोजयन्। समाप्य पितृकर्माणि वत्सं संगृह्यते द्विजाः
They gave the meat to a Brahmin and fed the remainder to other Brahmins; having completed the ancestral rites, they took the calf, O twice-born.
गुरौ समर्पयामासुर्धेनुर्व्याघ्रेण भक्षिता। ततस्तपोर्बलादेव ज्ञात्वा तेषां च कारणम्
They returned the cow, which had been eaten by a tiger, to their teacher; by the power of his austerity, he understood the reason for their act.
स शशाप ततः शिष्यांश्चाडालाश्च भविष्यथ। वेपमानास्ततो विप्राः कृतांजलिपुटाः स्थिताः
Then he cursed his disciples, saying, 'You shall become outcastes'; the Brahmins, trembling, stood with joined palms.
धेनोर्मांसंप्रदातारः पितृकृत्ये सदानघ। अकर्तव्यसहस्राणि महांति पातकानि च
Those who give cow’s flesh in the ancestral rite, O sinless one, commit thousands of forbidden acts and great sins.
कुर्वंतः पितृकार्येषु पापात्पूता दिवं गताः। श्रुतं बहुविधं नाथ मुखात्ते च पुरातनम्
Yet, performing ancestral rites, they were purified from sin and attained heaven; much has been heard from your mouth, O Lord, of ancient times.
क्षंतुमर्हसि धर्मज्ञ शापस्यांतो विधीयताम्। वसिष्ठ उवाच-। शापो वोथ यथा पाप्मा न तु धर्मविचारणात्
You should forgive, O knower of dharma, and set a limit to the curse; Vasiṣṭha said: 'The curse is as it is, not from deliberation on dharma.'
चांडालादौ समुत्पन्नाः पुरावृत्तं स्मरिष्यथ। न च वो ज्ञानलोपश्च स्मृतिशास्त्रमनष्टकम्
You will be born among outcastes and others, remembering past events; but you will not lose knowledge, nor will the scriptures be forgotten.
पापयोनिं समुत्तीर्य पश्चान्मोक्षं गमिष्यथ। ततः प्राणान्परित्यज्य गुरुशापात्तु ते द्विजाः
Having crossed a sinful birth, you will later attain liberation; then, giving up their lives due to the teacher’s curse, those twice-born were born again.
जाताश्चांडालयोनौ तु सर्वे ज्ञानसमन्विताः। स्तन्यं तैस्तु न पीतं वै स्मरद्भिः पूर्वजन्म तत्
They were all born in the caste of outcastes, endowed with knowledge; they did not drink their mother’s milk, remembering their former birth.
मृता जाता मृगाः सर्वे चक्रवाकाः पुनर्वने। हंसास्तु मानसे तीर्थे शुक्ला जाताः पुनर्द्विजाः
All died and were born as deer, then as chakravāka birds in the forest; as white swans at the Mānasa lake, they were again born as twice-born.
मुमूर्षवो महाभागा मृतास्ते खेदकारणात्। तस्मिन्काले महाराजो धर्मकेतुरिति स्मृतः
Those great souls, desiring to die, perished due to suffering; at that time, the great king known as Dharmaketu was remembered.
ययौ स्नातुं ततस्तीर्थं सदारः सपरिच्छदः। ततो हंसास्त्रयो मोहाद्राज्यं भोग्यं तु योषितः
Then, with his wife and retinue, he went to bathe at that sacred place; there, three swans, out of delusion, enjoyed the pleasures of the kingdom as women.
भक्ष्याणि चिंतयंतश्च लोकांतरमयुस्तदा। ज्ञात्वा वेदं च वेदांगं मोक्षं यास्यामहे वयम्
Thinking of food, they departed to another world at that time; knowing the Veda and its limbs, they said, 'We shall attain liberation.'
चिंतयंतो गता अन्ये ततो लोकांतरं प्रति। अथ त्रयो नृपा जाताश्चत्वारो विप्रसत्तमाः
While reflecting, others too departed towards another world; then three became kings, and four became excellent brahmins.