Once, Soma, the radiant moon-god, beheld a group of ancestral beings suffering from indigestion, a malady brought on by the very offerings made to them by the deities. Observing their distress, Soma, compassionate and wise, addressed them with gentle words, seeking to ease their plight. Those ancestors, who had been appointed to receive the śrāddha offerings, found some satisfaction in the ancestral rites performed for them. Yet, their suffering persisted. Soma, seeing their condition, proposed, “Let us go together to the place where the best outcome may be found for you.” The ancestral deities, thus encouraged by Soma’s words, agreed and accompanied him at once. Upon their arrival, they beheld the divine Pitamaha, Brahmā, and immediately bowed down, their foreheads touching the earth in reverence. Afflicted by their suffering and indigestion, the ancestors spoke: “O Pitamaha, just as food that is digested perishes, so too do we, O Grandfather, waste away.” Hearing their plea, Brahmā, the creator, turned to the supreme Lord of yogis present there and spoke, “These ancestors, together with Soma, have come to me seeking refuge.” The Supreme Lord, the Highest, thus addressed by Brahmā, beheld the Lord fashioned from the very limbs of Yoga and the Vedas—a being created by Viṣṇu himself, through his divine Vaiṣṇava Māyā. The Lord explained, “O Brahman, it was by Viṣṇu’s Māyā that these beings were created for the welfare of the Brāhmaṇas. My own father, the divine Brahmā, was fashioned from my body, and my great-grandfather, Rudra Deva, too, was born from me. If, O Brahman, they have come here with Soma seeking refuge, listen well, Grandfather of the worlds, for I shall declare what must be done.” He continued, “At the śrāddha, the first portion of the offering must always be given to Agni, or among men, to the one who represents him.” Hearing this, Brahmā, born from the lotus, addressed the blazing fire, Agni, the all-consuming eater of offerings: “Listen, O eater of offerings. When you have consumed the offering, the deities together with the Maruts will partake of it. Afterwards, the offered cake is to be eaten together with Soma.” With this arrangement, the deities, content and joined by Soma, took their leave. Thus, O Earth, it was established that the first portion of the śrāddha should always be offered to Agni. Only after this, having spread darbha grass on the ground, should the cakes be offered to the grandsire and to the portion born of Rudra. Men are to perform the śrāddha rite with the prescribed mantras and procedures, for the rite performed by the twice-born is accomplished solely through the power of Viṣṇu’s Māyā. Yet, there are those for whom the śrāddha is considered impure—eunuchs, painters, those who revile the protectors of wealth, dancers, singers, and those living by the stage, as well as those who serve kings, buyers and sellers in trade, those who neglect proper rites, and those who live by the work of śūdras. Also included are the initiated who carry pigs, twice-born barbers, thieves, scribes, priests-for-hire, actors, laborers, and all who sell goods, as well as those who travel for work. When the time for śrāddha arrives, the wise recognize that offerings made by or for such persons are known as rājasa, or impure. Thus, the tradition of śrāddha was clarified and sanctified for the benefit of all beings.