Bruhaspati said:
1. It is cited (in scriptures that) a leaf of the Palasha tree (Butea frondosa) is conducive to Brahmanic splendour.1 That kingdom is conceived (as the fruit, if leaves of) the Ashvattha tree (are used): The lordship of all living beings is mentioned (in using the leaves of) Plaksha (citron-leaved Indian fig tree) [i.e. the materials of oblations must be placed in cups made of these leaves or the wood as in the case of some of the following].
1. Verses 1-6 enumerate the different trees, the leaves (i.e. cups of the leaves) of which (if used for giving oblations to Pitris) confer different benefits. The Shraddha Sutra of Katyayana recommends the use of (cups of leaves of) sacrificial trees for Arghya.
2. Those who are desirous of prosperity, wisdom, intellect and power of memory (shall use the leaves of) the banyan tree. The vessel of the leaves of Kashmari (a large tree called Gambhari also) is conducive to fame and destructive of Rakshasas.
3. That which is offered in Madhuka (the tree Bassia latifolia) is considered excellent and conducive to good fortune. One who performs Shraddha in the vessel of Phalgu (a kind of fig tree) attains all desires.
4. The performer attains supreme lustre, particularly all-round brilliance (if the sun-plant is used-Bd. P.). By using a Bilva vessel, riches, intellect and longevity are always attained.
5. If Shraddha is performed in Bamboo vessels, Parjanya (cloud or the lord of rain) always showers in his fields, parks, lakes and all crops.
6. It is said (in Shastras that) those who make Shraddha offerings even for once in these excellent vessels, attain the fruit of all Yajnas.
7. He who always offers fragrant garlands to Pitris becomes endowed with riches and glory, and shines brilliantly like the sun.
8. He who offers incense, fragrant gum-resin and other things to Pitris, along with honey and ghee obtains the fruit of a horse-sacrifice.
9. One who offers shining fragrant Dhupa (incense) to Pitris begets children of his wife (beneficial to him) here and hereafter. Hence, he shall always offer it to Pitris.
10-11. He who always offers lamp to Pitris assiduously, obtains unequalled auspicious power of vision in the world. He becomes brilliant on the earth. He shines in Heaven with splendour, fame, refulgence and strength. He rejoices in the aerial chariot surrounded by Apsaras-s.
12. He should offer scents, flowers, incense and ghee. After propitiating at the outset, Pitris with fruits, roots and obeisance, with purity of mind and body, the devotee should later worship Brahmanas with food and wealth.
13. Always at the time of Shraddha, Pitamahas (manes) assume aerial forms and on seeing Brahmanas, they enter them. Hence, I am saying this.1
1. Hence, Brahmanas are to be worshipped, fed and gifted at the time of Shraddha. The belief that Pitris assume gaseous form and enter the bodies of the invited Brahmins is found in Aushanasa Smruti V. 4-5, Cf. Manu III. 189.
14-15. Excellent Brahmanas should be honoured with garments, foodstuffs, charitable gifts, food and beverages, (gifts of) cows, horses and villages. If Brahmanas are honoured, Pitris become delighted. Hence, one should honour excellent Brahmanas duly.
16. In the holy rite of Shraddha, Brahmanas should perform diligently the ritualistic scraping, digging and sprinkling of water (with Darbha) (Ullekhana and Prokshana) by means of the left and the right hands.
17. A learned man should keep ready for libation, Darbhas, balls of rice, foodstuffs, different kinds of flowers, scents, charitable gifts and ornaments.
18. After propitiating the persons present duly, the Brahmanas shall perform the Vaishvadeva rite and then perform the rites with Abhyanga (oil bath) with Darbha (leaves of the Kusha grass) in accordance with the injunctions.
19. The excellent food-offering to Pitris should be made with reverse wearing of the sacred thread. After pronouncing (the names of Pitris) the thread must be offered to all of them in lieu of garments.
20. The rites of Khandana, Poshana and Ullekhana are to be performed only once in the case of Devas, and thrice in the case of Pitris.
21. Wearing a single Pavitra (a ringlike loop of Kusha grass worn round a finger) in the hand and reciting the Chailamantra, the balls of rice are touched once for each of the Pitris. Then the benefit of showing (is attained) (?).
22. Always the balls of rice must be offered on the ground along with ghee and gingelly seeds. The devotee performing Pitri-Shraddha, kneels on the ground with the left knee touching it.
23. He invokes the fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers and all ancestry of yore and properly sprinkles all round the balls of rice, by means of the holy water (Pitritirtha) carefully from the right to the left (in anticlockwise manner).
24. Some men desire a separate Shraddha for maternal grandfathers by means of food, water, flowers and foodstuffs of various kinds.
25. He should offer three Pindas in the proper order (pressing them) with the thumb. They are conducive to the enhancement of nourishment. He should offer the Pindas (by means of both hands placed) between the knees.
26. (In offering the Pindas) the left hand should be placed over the right, repeating the Mantra1 ‘Namo vah pitarah sukshmaih2(?) always carefully in this manner.
1. The Text dharme mantre ca paryayah is obscure and the sentence remains incomplete. Bd. P. 2.3.11.62 reads dharartham mantram uccaran ‘should repeat the mantra (as follows for the sake of pouring water in the form of a thin current)’.
2. A reads Sushmai and not Sukshmaih.
The Mantra in A is recorded in Bloomfield’s Vedic Concordance, p. 538 but no mantra with Sukshmaih is found. It is obviously a scribal error.
27. (Defective Verse) Carefully repeating the Mantra “Namo vah pitarah saumyah” (Obeisance to ye, O gentle Pitris) he should offer the first Pinda with both the hands and place it in the southern quarter.
28*. (Defective Verse) With both the hands, he draws the outline (?) of a mortar using the water from the water pot. He must be careful in the practice of piety.
*Bd. P. 23.11-63-64 states that the first Pinda is to be moved to the south with the mantra: namo shoshaya and the other two Pindas with the mantra namo saumyah.
A comparison with the text in the Bd. P. 2.3-11.6 ff. shows that though the text in Va. P. and Bd. P. is common, the lines are differently distributed in the verses of these texts.
29. He should offer a fresh thread of silk or jute or a cotton thread. Woven silk such as coloured cloth and Kausheya should be avoided when offering thread to Pitris.
30. In the sacrifice, the thread taken even from a freshly woven cloth shall be avoided. These do not please Pitris. Those who give cannot flourish (?).
31. The collyrium obtained from the Trikuta mountain, they say, is always excellent. So also, is the oil extracted from black gingelly seeds.
32. Sandal, Agaru (fragrant aloe wood), Tamala, Ushira (fragrant root of the plant Andropogon Muricatus), lotus, fragrant incense, gum resin and (white) Turushka-all these are excellent articles (for use in Shraddha).
33. White flowers are the most excellent. So also, the red and blue lotuses. All other flowers can be used if they are fragrant.
34. The flowers China Rose, Bhandira, Upakama and Kurandaka should always be avoided in the Shraddha rite.
35. Odourless flowers and flowers of obnoxious odour should be avoided at that time by one who seeks prosperity.
36. The Brahmanas invited on that occasion should invariably face the north while sitting. The performer of the Shraddha should duly face the south.
37. He should face them and offer the Darbhas and the Pindas. He should worship his own grandfathers by means of this rite.
38-39. The following objects are said to be essential (in a Shraddha): Green Pinjalis (leaves of Kusha grass) as smooth and soft as flowers, about a Ratni in size, softened and straightened by the holy water (Pitrutirtha), blue near the root and not defiled by pebbles etc. (should be used). So also, Shyamaka and Nivara kinds of rice.
40. This (story) has been narrated by the excellent Prajapati.1 His hairs fell down through the path of the sky on the earth.
1. There is some lacuna. Bd. P. 2.3.11.79-80 state that formerly Prajapati assumed the form of a horse and his hair fell on the ground and became Kusha grass.
41. Hence, the Kasha grasses are holy. They are always honoured in the Shraddha rite. The Pindas are to be offered on them by one who wishes prosperity.
42. Those who do so become free from sins and defects. Their children become nourished with splendour, fame and refulgence.
43. The devotee should sit facing the south and spread the Darbha grass once for the Pindas. The tips of the Darbhas should be pointing to the south-east. The procedure shall be mentioned as follows:
44. A learned man should always perform Shraddha with concentration of mind. He shall neither be dejected nor angry. His mind should not be distracted or diverted elsewhere.
45. (The following Mantra is to be repeated.) “I annihilate everything that has impurity in it. All Asuras and Danavas have been killed by me. All Rakshasas, Yakshas, groups of Pishachas and all Yatudhanas (demons) have been killed by me.”2
2. Quoted in Shraddha Tattva, p. 235. Verses of the same import and textual similarity are quoted by Apararka but he adds the Vedic mantra Apahatah (Vaj. Samhita II. 29) here.
46. All Asuras avoid him who offers food to Pitris by repeating this Mantra. Rakshasas avoid the place where this Mantra is recited.
47. A Brahmana should always perform Shraddha according to this procedure. The manes (Pitamahas) will grant whatever is desired in the mind (by him).
48. If Shraddha is always performed assiduously, Pitris become delighted in mind and Rakshasas become dejected.
49. Shudras should always avoid the following in Sraddha: Kshiracasu1 (trees yielding white juice?), trees called Balvaja (Eluesine Indica, a species of coarse grass not liked by cattle) and other kinds of grasses such as Varana, Lava, Lava-varsha.
1. avi-kshiram ‘milk of a variety of sheep called Avi’ in Bd. P., ibid V. 87
50. They shall avoid applying collyrium, oil and unguents as well as wearing garlands. Their rites should be performed with Kashas which grow again (when cut). All the benefits accrue (to them thereby).
51. Kasha (grass) and the regrown Kasha (grass) are (like) peacock’s tail and its regrowth2. (So) Pitris are Devas and Devas are Pitris.
2. barhana ‘a peacock’ is rather inapplicable. Hence, barhi (n) ‘fire; Kusha grass’ may be the probable reading.
52-53. This is the Mantra intended for flowers, incense, scents etc. Pulling (the vessel of materials of worship) towards the south assiduously for the sake of Homa, he (performer of Shraddha) should repeat the mantra “Svadha unto Soma, the Pitriman (having Pitris). Obeisance to Angiras”. He should perform the Homa of non-heavenly or the worldly type for the purpose of the fructification of the holy rite.
54-55. Homa is to be performed after placing Samit (sacrificial twig) within. The devotee should keep the mind perfectly pure and keep the holy fire scrupulously pure, repeating the Mantra, “Svadha unto Agni, the bearer of Kavya. Obeisance to Angiras. Svadha and obeisance unto Yama and Angiras”.
56-58. These are the Mantras in order intended for Homas. Homas shall be performed everyday from the southern direction to Agni and to Soma in the middle3. In between these two Homas, a Homa should be performed to Vivasvan (the Sun or his son Yama?). Upacharas (ways of rendering homage), repetition of Svadha mantra, Ullekhana (ritualistic scrubbing), Homas, Japas, obeisance, particularly Prakshana (sprinkling), applying collyrium, oil bath and offering pindas (all these must be performed).
3. uttaratah ‘to the north’ in Bd. P. ibid V.95.
59. If they are performed with Mantras, they have the same benefit as a horse-sacrifice. All holy rites mentioned above shall be assiduously performed.
60. In the blazing fire plenty of ghee must be offered. Particularly Homa must be performed in a smokeless fire with curly leaping flames, for the fructification of the holy rite.
61. We have heard that if a Yajamana performs Homa in a weakly burning smoking fire, he becomes blind and issueless.
62. If there is deficiency of fuel, if the flames are scattered all round and dried up or if the flames are defiled by smoke, the fire is not conducive to good results.
63. If the fire emits bad odour, if the flames are bluish or particularly black, or if the fire makes the ground crack, know that there is failure (in the holy rite).
64. The resplendent fire with a single globular flame, yellowish (golden) in colour, produced by the ghee, is conducive to the fructification of the rite. The flame shall be smooth and curling clockwise.
65. (That fire) is perpetually honoured and worshipped by both men and women. Thereby, the everlasting Pitris become honoured and worshipped. They give everlasting benefits.
66. Mud-pots, vessels made of the leaves or wood of the Udumbara (ficus glomerata) tree, its fruits and Samits, all these are considered very holy in Shraddha. They are very pure.
67-69. The different benefits of the various kinds of vessels that I have mentioned as regards the Shraddha rite, O excellent Brahmanas, are also true in regard to the holy rites of nativity. With regard to the Samits also, the same should be known. The devotee keeps the mind pure and says ‘I am performing the rite in fire’. Then, after being permitted by excellent Brahmanas, saying “Do”, he should perform the Homa in the fire, accompanied by his wife and sons.
70. The following trees are equally sacrifice-worthy: Palasha (Bd. P.), Plaksha, Nyagrodha, Ashvattha, Vikankata, Udumbara, Bilva and Chandana.
71. The following trees are particularly recommended for the purpose of Samits (sacrificial twigs): Sarala, Devadaru, Shala and Khadira.
72. Rural thorny trees are also sacrifice-worthy. Some of them are honoured for the purpose of Samits in accordance with the words of Pitris.
73. Even as I recount, listen to the fruit of the holy rite to those who perform Homa with the Samits of the Kalkaleya (pomegranate) tree.
74-75. The Aloe wood is to be desired by all. It has the same benefit as that of a horse-sacrifice. The following trees should be avoided-Shleshmataka, Naktamala, Kapittha, Shalmali, Nipa, Vibhitaka and the creepers also. Similarly,, the trees on which birds reside must be avoided. Those trees which are considered unworthy of sacrifice should also be avoided.
76. In the course of the sacrificial rite, the word Svadha is used at the end of the Mantra pertaining to Pitris and Svaha is used in the case of Devas.