vikrama
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This is an essay on how the SrAddhams were performed in the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] century.
Selling needles at the smithy? Taking halwa to Thirunelveli?
No. The culture of SrAddham is fast disappearing and I want to document it for future generations, who, I am sure, would be surprised to know that their ancestors subjected themselves to so many restrictions simply to please a dead father or mother.
What I write here is from my memory of what was done in my and neighbouring homes in my young days. I could have forgotten some. Practices differ from family to family. So readers are welcome to supplement information of various practices of different sects.
SrAddham means that which is to be performed with sraddhA. SraddhA means observance of so many restrictions. There are many do’s and don’t’s. let us look at them.
Pre-srAddham arrangements
The performer of srAddha, hereinafter called yajamana, knows the month and tithi of his father’s and mother’s demise. When the month approaches, he plans to perform the ritual, well in advance. All functions like marriage etc are fixed without disturbing the srAddham. If a function like ayush homam falls on the same day as srAddham, the former is postponed to a different date. No event can postpone a srAddham except theetu (pollution) caused by the death of close relatives or the birth of a child in the family.
Austerities begin from the new moon day or the full moon day whatever precedes the srAddham day. The yajamana and his wife would not eat prohibited foods like onion, brinjal, drumstick etc on these days. They refrain from taking oil bath. The yajamana does not have a haircut or shave.
The vadhyar is informed in advance of the date and he in turn arranges for two more brahmanas well versed in Veda, hereinafter called srAddha brahmanas or S.B. in short, to do the role of Visvedeva and Pitrus. These two should not accept similar offers on the previous day or the day after the srAddham. They should not accept gifts from others on the day of the srAddham or even on the preceding one. They should not accept the offer if they have theetu or if their respective wives are out of doors (menstruating).
The day before
The yajamana checks up whether the house is filled with all the necessary items, like rice, groceries, vegetables. He purchases the required materials well in advance. They make their hall convenient for performing the srAddham, by relocating the furnitures.
The yajamana and his wife should not have a heavy dinner on the eve of srAddham. Phala-ahara (fruit) is preferable. Usually a tiffin without ‘pathu’ is taken. (what is pathu? Food items having water and boiled become ‘pathu’. Uppuma, idly and dosai are ‘pathu’. Wheat flour chapatti, sathu mavu are not.)
If the yajamani happens to be out of doors, she should keep far from away from the house and should not take the srAddham foods.
The yajamani may requisition the services of some relatives or neighbours (Brahmins only) to assist her in cooking. Those assistants should also observe the rules of srAddham strictly.
Cleaning
On the morning of srAddham, the house is swept with broom. The floor is moistened with cow dung dissolved in water. This is done twice.
Those engaged in cooking have their bath, drenching their head also. No below- the- neck-snanam is allowed even if she has a disease prohibiting her from moistening her head. No need to tell that they should wet their clothes fully before bathing. They should not touch or be touched by any other person or clothes of any kind after this bath.
They squeeze their clothes and hang them to dry in such a place where they will not be touched by anyone else. They wear a small wet cloth around their bodies and begin the cooking. They wash all the vegetables well and cut them to required sizes. They take care not to talk with others lest their mouth would sprinkle saliva on the materials or floor. They wear a cloth covering their hair not only to dry it but also to keep any piece of it from falling and polluting the place.
The yajamana takes his usual bath (drenching head also) and performs his sandhyavandanam and madhyahnikam. He dips his clothes in water and dries it in the sun. He should not talk to any person unnecessarily and talking to a non-brahmin is strictly taboo. He should not touch a paper or any other thing not connected with srAddham. He awaits the arrival of the S.Bs and when they arrive, seats them on wooden planks and places sesame oil and soapnut powder in front of them on the floor. They accept them and go for taking oil bath.
The S.Bs should not eat or drink anything in the morning of the srAddham day. The senior of the two dons the mantle of Visvedevas and the other that of Pitrus.
Then the yajamana takes his second bath. He dips the new clothes bought for the S.Bs in water and dries them in the sun. He does not wear the usual vibhuti on his forehead, does not comb his hair or use any other cosmetics. He leaves his wet towel in the bathroom. It is squeezed with a mantra only after the main part of the srAddham is over.
When the S.Bs have finished their oil bath, they wear the new clothes and get themselves ready for the event. In the meanwhile, they find some time to prepare the leaves for their eating-on. They also make the leaf-cups to be used by them while eating.
The yajamana prepares the altar with bricks washed in water. He readies the fuel for the fire- cow dung cake, chips of wood and ghee. He gets some akshata (rice) in a cup from the kitchen which is part of the rice washed for cooking. He grinds sandalwood into paste for use by the S.Bs. He keeps a little sesame seeds on a cup. He has some tulasi leaves also in a cup. All vessels used in the kitchen and the homam should be either brass, lead-coated brass, bronze or silver. No other metal is allowed.
Now it is time for the vadhyar to arrive. As soon as he arrives, he ensures that the cooking will be completed by the time the homam ends. Then he starts the sraddham. Generally the sraddham is begun only after 10 or 10.30 in the morning and the S.Bs take their lunch by 1 p.m. so that they will not feel hungry in the night because they should not eat anything for the whole day, after their lunch here.
The yajamana, yajamani, the vadhyar and the S.Bs all should wear the dresses in the traditional way. (pancha kaccham for men and madisar for women)
First, the yajamana is given new upavitams to wear and the old ones are removed. The yajamani brings the cinders on a plate and places them on the cow dung cakes kept on the altar. The yajamana drops a few grains of rice and spoonful of water on the plate. Then she takes the plate back.
A Brahmin is supposed to perform agnihotra twice every day. Since most do not observe this, an expiatory ritual is performed with ghee oblations in the fire. Being absolved of this sin, now he becomes eligible to continue the agnihotra for the day. By this time, the yajamani wears her just dried clothes. She should stand beside her husband while starting the fire-worship.
After agnihotra is performed, sraddham proper begins.
First the S.Bs are welcomed with due mantras. The Visvedevas are invoked on one S.B. and the pitrus on the other. While askhata is sprinkled on the head of Visvedevas, sesame is sprinkled on the left shoulder of the pitrus.
All activities for the Visvedeva are performed with the yajamana wearing the upavitam on his left shoulder and those for the pitrus with the upavitam on the right shoulder. Thus there is frequent change of upavitam.
Then the SBs are given the honour called ‘padyam’. First the S.B chosen to be the Visvedeva is seated on a stool over a place smeared with cow dung-mixed-water.
Sandal paste is applied on his right foot and akshata with tualsi is showered on it. To the accompaniment of mantras, the yajamani stands near and pours water into her husband’s hands and he washes the feet of the S.B reverentially. Then he sprinkles a little of the washed water on his head and on that of his wife.
Then the S.B donning the role of pitrus is seated at a nearby place similarly cleaned. He is also given the same honours, but with sesame instead of akshata. Now the washed water is not sprinkled.
The mantras welcome the Visvedevas and Pitrus for the proposed srAddham. The S.Bs are given sandal paste and tualsi leaves for ornaments. Jasmine strings are also given which the S.Bs wear around their tufts. Then arghyam is given to both. Arghyam is a spoonful of water given on the palm of the guest as a mark of honour.
After this the srAddha homam begins. A cupful of cooked rice is brought with a bit of cooked banana. From this a little bit of cooked rice is placed on a porasu leaf with a sprinkling of ghee on it. The rice is put into the fire with mantras. This is repeated 8 times, twice for the father, twice for the grandfather, twice for the great grandfather and twice for the unknown pitrus. Then the banana bit is also put into the fire with mantras accompanying. Ghee is offered in large quantities to the fire so that it will flame high and the rice gets totally burnt. He goes into the kitchen and touches all the food preparations with the dharbha grass.
Then arrangements for feeding the SBs begin. The visvedeva is seated on a plank and he faces east. The other SB faces north. A Third seat for the invisible Mahavishnu who is supposed to protect the ritual faces west.
The place is swept ceremonially with dharbha grass to the accompaniment of mantras. Sesame is sprinkled all over the place. SBs are given dharbha for seat though they are already sitting on the planks. Then dharbhas are spread on the ground as the seat for the plantain leaves. Each SB and the Mahavishnu should be given a pair of plantain leaves. The leaves should measure three spans in length and should be free from any cuts, imperfections or dirt. They should be placed in such a way that the breadth of the leaf is widened to 1 ½ times a single leaf. The leaves are already washed in water. Now a drop of ghee is sprinkled on the leaves as a mark of purification. Then serving begins. Meanwhile the vadhyar recites some part of veda to ward off the sin of smelling the cooked food and the yajamana repeats it.
The usual srAddha menu consists of three vegetables made into curries, poricha kuzhambu, mor kuzhambu, toor dhal cooked into paste, rasam, payasam, pacchadi, one or two varuvals, one or two sweets besides athirasam, ellurundai, vadai, fried chips, butter milk, fruits, condiments prepared fresh. No two preparations should be of the same vegetable.
Sugar should not be used. Pepper is to be used in the place of chilli. In any preparation with tamarind, pepper should not be used.
The following vegetables are taboo for srAddham. Onion, garlic, coconut, chilli, onion, brinjal, drumstick, the so-called English vegetables like carrot, potato etc., tomato, brinjal, drumstick, ladies finger, green chillies, lemon.
The following are to be essentially used- banana, ginger, curry leaves, narathai.
Once the serving of side dishes is over, the yajamana sits before the leaf of the Visvedeva, asks his wife to serve the rice and ghee. He performs the parishecanam for the visvedeva and gives in his hand a drop of water. He gives him a few tulasi leaves and a coin placing them at the edge of the leaf.
Then he moves on to the leaf of the pitrus. He repeats the same process here.
Then he sits before the Mahavishnu- leaf and does the same thing. Then he recites the 6 svaha mantras when both the SBs put a morsel of rice in their mouths for each mantra. Then he and his wife prostrate before the SBs and requests them to have their lunch leisurely. They should graciously condone the delay and eat well so that they might not suffer from hunger at night. They should avoid talk and concentrate on the food.
The Nahavishnu leaf is also served though the food is taken by a brahmachari relative or neighbor only after the srAddham is over.
The SBs eat leisurely. The ladies see to it that the food requirements of the SBs are properly fulfilled.
Once eating is over, the SBs sit at the same place. The yajamana makes a line with cooked rice before the leaf of each. This vikhirannam is accompanied by mantras. Then the SBs get up and wash their hands.
Then a ball of rice for the crows is taken out by the yajamana with a tumbler of water. He places the rice-ball on a place convenient for the crows, washes his hands with the water, changes his upavitam to the left shoulder ad cries out ‘Mahadeva’ calling the crows to come and eat.
Then the SBs are given dakshina with 14 betel leaves and 7 betel nuts each. They are enquired if they are satisfied with the sraddham and the food and their blessings are sought. They step on the towel of the yajamana and move out. The yajamana sprinkles the dust on the towel on his forehead. Then the wet towel is squeezed.
Then follows the pinda pradhanam. 6 rice balls are placed on the floor. Sesame and water are sprinkled on them. Each of the balls represent a particular pitru- father, grandfather, great grandfather on one side and their respective consorts on the other side. Vadai and betel are offered to these panda pitru devatas. Then the yajamana performs the tharpanam, which he should normally perform on the next day. Then he takes some ash from the altar, mixes it with water and applies on his forehead. Then the brahma yajna, which is daily duty, is performed.
The leaves of SBs with the left-over food is bundled and thrown into a pond, or buried in earth. They should not be tasted by dogs or any other person.
The vadhyar is given the sambhavana and seen off. He is not to take lunch or any other food at the house. At the worst, he is given some butter-milk or fruits and that too after the SBs have gone out.
Now the yajamana is free to have his lunch. After the men folk and the children the ladies of the house have their lunch.
After everyone in the house has eaten, whatever food is left is given to the cow. This should not given to any person, not belonging to the gotra of the yajamana. The vessels used in cooking are to be cleaned by the members of the family only and not by any non-brahmin servant.
The yajamana and his wife should not have any food in the night.
Thus, following all the rules of the game, when one finishes the event, he feels relieved from his obligation to the ancestors.
Selling needles at the smithy? Taking halwa to Thirunelveli?
No. The culture of SrAddham is fast disappearing and I want to document it for future generations, who, I am sure, would be surprised to know that their ancestors subjected themselves to so many restrictions simply to please a dead father or mother.
What I write here is from my memory of what was done in my and neighbouring homes in my young days. I could have forgotten some. Practices differ from family to family. So readers are welcome to supplement information of various practices of different sects.
SrAddham means that which is to be performed with sraddhA. SraddhA means observance of so many restrictions. There are many do’s and don’t’s. let us look at them.
Pre-srAddham arrangements
The performer of srAddha, hereinafter called yajamana, knows the month and tithi of his father’s and mother’s demise. When the month approaches, he plans to perform the ritual, well in advance. All functions like marriage etc are fixed without disturbing the srAddham. If a function like ayush homam falls on the same day as srAddham, the former is postponed to a different date. No event can postpone a srAddham except theetu (pollution) caused by the death of close relatives or the birth of a child in the family.
Austerities begin from the new moon day or the full moon day whatever precedes the srAddham day. The yajamana and his wife would not eat prohibited foods like onion, brinjal, drumstick etc on these days. They refrain from taking oil bath. The yajamana does not have a haircut or shave.
The vadhyar is informed in advance of the date and he in turn arranges for two more brahmanas well versed in Veda, hereinafter called srAddha brahmanas or S.B. in short, to do the role of Visvedeva and Pitrus. These two should not accept similar offers on the previous day or the day after the srAddham. They should not accept gifts from others on the day of the srAddham or even on the preceding one. They should not accept the offer if they have theetu or if their respective wives are out of doors (menstruating).
The day before
The yajamana checks up whether the house is filled with all the necessary items, like rice, groceries, vegetables. He purchases the required materials well in advance. They make their hall convenient for performing the srAddham, by relocating the furnitures.
The yajamana and his wife should not have a heavy dinner on the eve of srAddham. Phala-ahara (fruit) is preferable. Usually a tiffin without ‘pathu’ is taken. (what is pathu? Food items having water and boiled become ‘pathu’. Uppuma, idly and dosai are ‘pathu’. Wheat flour chapatti, sathu mavu are not.)
If the yajamani happens to be out of doors, she should keep far from away from the house and should not take the srAddham foods.
The yajamani may requisition the services of some relatives or neighbours (Brahmins only) to assist her in cooking. Those assistants should also observe the rules of srAddham strictly.
Cleaning
On the morning of srAddham, the house is swept with broom. The floor is moistened with cow dung dissolved in water. This is done twice.
Those engaged in cooking have their bath, drenching their head also. No below- the- neck-snanam is allowed even if she has a disease prohibiting her from moistening her head. No need to tell that they should wet their clothes fully before bathing. They should not touch or be touched by any other person or clothes of any kind after this bath.
They squeeze their clothes and hang them to dry in such a place where they will not be touched by anyone else. They wear a small wet cloth around their bodies and begin the cooking. They wash all the vegetables well and cut them to required sizes. They take care not to talk with others lest their mouth would sprinkle saliva on the materials or floor. They wear a cloth covering their hair not only to dry it but also to keep any piece of it from falling and polluting the place.
The yajamana takes his usual bath (drenching head also) and performs his sandhyavandanam and madhyahnikam. He dips his clothes in water and dries it in the sun. He should not talk to any person unnecessarily and talking to a non-brahmin is strictly taboo. He should not touch a paper or any other thing not connected with srAddham. He awaits the arrival of the S.Bs and when they arrive, seats them on wooden planks and places sesame oil and soapnut powder in front of them on the floor. They accept them and go for taking oil bath.
The S.Bs should not eat or drink anything in the morning of the srAddham day. The senior of the two dons the mantle of Visvedevas and the other that of Pitrus.
Then the yajamana takes his second bath. He dips the new clothes bought for the S.Bs in water and dries them in the sun. He does not wear the usual vibhuti on his forehead, does not comb his hair or use any other cosmetics. He leaves his wet towel in the bathroom. It is squeezed with a mantra only after the main part of the srAddham is over.
When the S.Bs have finished their oil bath, they wear the new clothes and get themselves ready for the event. In the meanwhile, they find some time to prepare the leaves for their eating-on. They also make the leaf-cups to be used by them while eating.
The yajamana prepares the altar with bricks washed in water. He readies the fuel for the fire- cow dung cake, chips of wood and ghee. He gets some akshata (rice) in a cup from the kitchen which is part of the rice washed for cooking. He grinds sandalwood into paste for use by the S.Bs. He keeps a little sesame seeds on a cup. He has some tulasi leaves also in a cup. All vessels used in the kitchen and the homam should be either brass, lead-coated brass, bronze or silver. No other metal is allowed.
Now it is time for the vadhyar to arrive. As soon as he arrives, he ensures that the cooking will be completed by the time the homam ends. Then he starts the sraddham. Generally the sraddham is begun only after 10 or 10.30 in the morning and the S.Bs take their lunch by 1 p.m. so that they will not feel hungry in the night because they should not eat anything for the whole day, after their lunch here.
The yajamana, yajamani, the vadhyar and the S.Bs all should wear the dresses in the traditional way. (pancha kaccham for men and madisar for women)
First, the yajamana is given new upavitams to wear and the old ones are removed. The yajamani brings the cinders on a plate and places them on the cow dung cakes kept on the altar. The yajamana drops a few grains of rice and spoonful of water on the plate. Then she takes the plate back.
A Brahmin is supposed to perform agnihotra twice every day. Since most do not observe this, an expiatory ritual is performed with ghee oblations in the fire. Being absolved of this sin, now he becomes eligible to continue the agnihotra for the day. By this time, the yajamani wears her just dried clothes. She should stand beside her husband while starting the fire-worship.
After agnihotra is performed, sraddham proper begins.
First the S.Bs are welcomed with due mantras. The Visvedevas are invoked on one S.B. and the pitrus on the other. While askhata is sprinkled on the head of Visvedevas, sesame is sprinkled on the left shoulder of the pitrus.
All activities for the Visvedeva are performed with the yajamana wearing the upavitam on his left shoulder and those for the pitrus with the upavitam on the right shoulder. Thus there is frequent change of upavitam.
Then the SBs are given the honour called ‘padyam’. First the S.B chosen to be the Visvedeva is seated on a stool over a place smeared with cow dung-mixed-water.
Sandal paste is applied on his right foot and akshata with tualsi is showered on it. To the accompaniment of mantras, the yajamani stands near and pours water into her husband’s hands and he washes the feet of the S.B reverentially. Then he sprinkles a little of the washed water on his head and on that of his wife.
Then the S.B donning the role of pitrus is seated at a nearby place similarly cleaned. He is also given the same honours, but with sesame instead of akshata. Now the washed water is not sprinkled.
The mantras welcome the Visvedevas and Pitrus for the proposed srAddham. The S.Bs are given sandal paste and tualsi leaves for ornaments. Jasmine strings are also given which the S.Bs wear around their tufts. Then arghyam is given to both. Arghyam is a spoonful of water given on the palm of the guest as a mark of honour.
After this the srAddha homam begins. A cupful of cooked rice is brought with a bit of cooked banana. From this a little bit of cooked rice is placed on a porasu leaf with a sprinkling of ghee on it. The rice is put into the fire with mantras. This is repeated 8 times, twice for the father, twice for the grandfather, twice for the great grandfather and twice for the unknown pitrus. Then the banana bit is also put into the fire with mantras accompanying. Ghee is offered in large quantities to the fire so that it will flame high and the rice gets totally burnt. He goes into the kitchen and touches all the food preparations with the dharbha grass.
Then arrangements for feeding the SBs begin. The visvedeva is seated on a plank and he faces east. The other SB faces north. A Third seat for the invisible Mahavishnu who is supposed to protect the ritual faces west.
The place is swept ceremonially with dharbha grass to the accompaniment of mantras. Sesame is sprinkled all over the place. SBs are given dharbha for seat though they are already sitting on the planks. Then dharbhas are spread on the ground as the seat for the plantain leaves. Each SB and the Mahavishnu should be given a pair of plantain leaves. The leaves should measure three spans in length and should be free from any cuts, imperfections or dirt. They should be placed in such a way that the breadth of the leaf is widened to 1 ½ times a single leaf. The leaves are already washed in water. Now a drop of ghee is sprinkled on the leaves as a mark of purification. Then serving begins. Meanwhile the vadhyar recites some part of veda to ward off the sin of smelling the cooked food and the yajamana repeats it.
The usual srAddha menu consists of three vegetables made into curries, poricha kuzhambu, mor kuzhambu, toor dhal cooked into paste, rasam, payasam, pacchadi, one or two varuvals, one or two sweets besides athirasam, ellurundai, vadai, fried chips, butter milk, fruits, condiments prepared fresh. No two preparations should be of the same vegetable.
Sugar should not be used. Pepper is to be used in the place of chilli. In any preparation with tamarind, pepper should not be used.
The following vegetables are taboo for srAddham. Onion, garlic, coconut, chilli, onion, brinjal, drumstick, the so-called English vegetables like carrot, potato etc., tomato, brinjal, drumstick, ladies finger, green chillies, lemon.
The following are to be essentially used- banana, ginger, curry leaves, narathai.
Once the serving of side dishes is over, the yajamana sits before the leaf of the Visvedeva, asks his wife to serve the rice and ghee. He performs the parishecanam for the visvedeva and gives in his hand a drop of water. He gives him a few tulasi leaves and a coin placing them at the edge of the leaf.
Then he moves on to the leaf of the pitrus. He repeats the same process here.
Then he sits before the Mahavishnu- leaf and does the same thing. Then he recites the 6 svaha mantras when both the SBs put a morsel of rice in their mouths for each mantra. Then he and his wife prostrate before the SBs and requests them to have their lunch leisurely. They should graciously condone the delay and eat well so that they might not suffer from hunger at night. They should avoid talk and concentrate on the food.
The Nahavishnu leaf is also served though the food is taken by a brahmachari relative or neighbor only after the srAddham is over.
The SBs eat leisurely. The ladies see to it that the food requirements of the SBs are properly fulfilled.
Once eating is over, the SBs sit at the same place. The yajamana makes a line with cooked rice before the leaf of each. This vikhirannam is accompanied by mantras. Then the SBs get up and wash their hands.
Then a ball of rice for the crows is taken out by the yajamana with a tumbler of water. He places the rice-ball on a place convenient for the crows, washes his hands with the water, changes his upavitam to the left shoulder ad cries out ‘Mahadeva’ calling the crows to come and eat.
Then the SBs are given dakshina with 14 betel leaves and 7 betel nuts each. They are enquired if they are satisfied with the sraddham and the food and their blessings are sought. They step on the towel of the yajamana and move out. The yajamana sprinkles the dust on the towel on his forehead. Then the wet towel is squeezed.
Then follows the pinda pradhanam. 6 rice balls are placed on the floor. Sesame and water are sprinkled on them. Each of the balls represent a particular pitru- father, grandfather, great grandfather on one side and their respective consorts on the other side. Vadai and betel are offered to these panda pitru devatas. Then the yajamana performs the tharpanam, which he should normally perform on the next day. Then he takes some ash from the altar, mixes it with water and applies on his forehead. Then the brahma yajna, which is daily duty, is performed.
The leaves of SBs with the left-over food is bundled and thrown into a pond, or buried in earth. They should not be tasted by dogs or any other person.
The vadhyar is given the sambhavana and seen off. He is not to take lunch or any other food at the house. At the worst, he is given some butter-milk or fruits and that too after the SBs have gone out.
Now the yajamana is free to have his lunch. After the men folk and the children the ladies of the house have their lunch.
After everyone in the house has eaten, whatever food is left is given to the cow. This should not given to any person, not belonging to the gotra of the yajamana. The vessels used in cooking are to be cleaned by the members of the family only and not by any non-brahmin servant.
The yajamana and his wife should not have any food in the night.
Thus, following all the rules of the game, when one finishes the event, he feels relieved from his obligation to the ancestors.
