dharma-raajaa alias yam-dev
(god of death) explains in naarad puran slok 1.14.84-89 about how the SshraaDdh
offering is performed after the cremation of a deceased:
"The collection of bones (and ashes after the cremation) should be
made by the benevolent kinsman usually on the first, second, third or the
fourth day.
The collection of bones (and ashes) has been permitted to be made on the fourth,
fifth, seventh or the ninth day for the people of four varna
in that serial order (braahman, kshtriya,
vaishya and sudra).
If on the eleventh day, a bull is let loose on behalf of the dead mean, the
dead man is liberated from the world of ghosts. He is honoured in the svarga-lok
(heaven).
One should stand in the water doming up to his umbilical region and meditate
thus within his heart: "May my ancestors come and accept these water bali
or uphaar (libations) from these
folded palms of mine.
He shall join his two palms and fill them with water. Lifting the joint palms
up to the height of a cow's horn, he should pour the water in the middle of
the water in the waters he is standing in.
He should stay in the water facing the south and throw up the water into
the atmosphere. The abode of the pitru is in the aakaash
(space) as well as the southern quarter."
The collected bones and ashes of a deceased are consecrated by offering them
to a river or a water body. The highest consecration is attained by offering the
ashes to the waters of gangaa-nadi
(river ganges) as per naarad puraan,
We all at PVAF convey pranaam to
our guru Dr. G. V. Tagore from whose
English translation of the sanskrit naarad puraan we have been
blessed with the above knowledge of how SshraaDdh
offerings is to be performed.......
.......om namah
brhmah....
....our guru brhmah..
.....om tat sat....om shaanti shaanti....
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