On the Worthy and Unworthy Brahmins and Sons Eligible for the Shraddha

Verse 1 (skanda.6.223.1)

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच श्राद्धार्हैर्ब्राह्मणैः कार्यं श्राद्धं दर्शे तु पार्वणम् विपरीतं न कर्तव्यं श्राद्धमेकं कथंचन

bhartṛyajña uvāca śrāddhārhairbrāhmaṇaiḥ kāryaṁ śrāddhaṁ darśe tu pārvaṇam viparītaṁ na kartavyaṁ śrāddhamekaṁ kathaṁcana

Bhartriyajna said: The parvana shraddha on the new-moon day should be performed with brahmins who are fit for the shraddha; contrary to this, a single improper shraddha should never be performed.

Verse 2 (skanda.6.223.2)

जारजातापविद्धाद्यैर्यो नरः श्राद्धमाचरेत् ब्राह्मणैस्तु न संदेहस्तच्छ्राद्धं व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

jārajātāpaviddhādyairyo naraḥ śrāddhamācaret brāhmaṇaistu na saṁdehastacchrāddhaṁ vyarthatāṁ vrajet

The man who performs the shraddha with brahmins who are illegitimately born, abandoned, or otherwise flawed — his shraddha, without doubt, becomes fruitless.

Verse 3 (skanda.6.223.3)

आनर्त उवाच भयं मे सुमहज्जातमत्र यत्परिकीर्तितम् जारजातापविद्धैस्तु यच्छ्राद्धं व्यर्थतां व्रजेत्

ānarta uvāca bhayaṁ me sumahajjātamatra yatparikīrtitam jārajātāpaviddhaistu yacchrāddhaṁ vyarthatāṁ vrajet

Anarta said: A great fear has arisen in me at what has been declared — that the shraddha performed with illegitimately-born and abandoned brahmins becomes fruitless.

Verse 4 (skanda.6.223.4)

मनुना द्वादश प्रोक्ताः किल पुत्रा महामते अपुत्राणां च पुत्रत्वं ये कुर्वंति सदैव हि

manunā dvādaśa proktāḥ kila putrā mahāmate aputrāṇāṁ ca putratvaṁ ye kurvaṁti sadaiva hi

O wise one, Manu has declared twelve kinds of sons, who ever serve as sons for those who are themselves without offspring.

Verse 5 (skanda.6.223.5)

औरसः क्षेत्रजश्चैव क्रयक्रीतश्च पालितः प्रतिपन्नः सहोढश्च कानीनश्चापि सत्तम

aurasaḥ kṣetrajaścaiva krayakrītaśca pālitaḥ pratipannaḥ sahoḍhaśca kānīnaścāpi sattama

O worthy one: the aurasa (naturally begotten), the kshetraja, the bought son, the fostered son, the adopted son (pratipanna), the sahodha, and the kanina —

Verse 6 (skanda.6.223.6)

तथान्यौ कुण्डगोलौ च पुत्रावपि प्रकीर्तितौ

tathānyau kuṇḍagolau ca putrāvapi prakīrtitau

and, besides these, two others called kunda and gola are also declared as sons.

Verse 7 (skanda.6.223.7)

शिष्यश्च रक्षितो मृत्योस्तथाश्वत्थो वनांतिगः किमेते नैव कथिता यत्त्वमेवं प्रजल्पसि

śiṣyaśca rakṣito mṛtyostathāśvattho vanāṁtigaḥ kimete naiva kathitā yattvamevaṁ prajalpasi

the disciple-son, the one rescued from death, and the ashvattha (found abandoned in the forest) — were not all these declared as valid sons, that you speak in this way?

Verse 8 (skanda.6.223.8)

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच सत्यमेतन्महाभाग सर्वे ते धर्मतः सुताः परं युगत्रये प्रोक्ता न कलौ कलुषापहाः

bhartṛyajña uvāca satyametanmahābhāga sarve te dharmataḥ sutāḥ paraṁ yugatraye proktā na kalau kaluṣāpahāḥ

Bhartriyajna said: This is true, O greatly fortunate one; all of these are, by dharma, sons. But this was declared for the three [earlier] ages — in the Kali age they do not remove sin.

Verse 9 (skanda.6.223.9)

तदर्थं तेषु सन्तानं तावन्मात्रं युगेयुगे सत्त्वाढ्यानां च लोकानां न कलौ चाल्पमेधसाम्

tadarthaṁ teṣu santānaṁ tāvanmātraṁ yugeyuge sattvāḍhyānāṁ ca lokānāṁ na kalau cālpamedhasām

Therefore these are valid, in each age, only to that extent — for peoples rich in sattva, not for those of little wisdom in the Kali age.

Verse 10 (skanda.6.223.10)

कलावेव समाख्यातो व्यवहारः प्रपा तदः अल्पसत्त्वा यतो लोकास्तेन चैष विधिः स्मृतः

kalāveva samākhyāto vyavahāraḥ prapā tadaḥ alpasattvā yato lokāstena caiṣa vidhiḥ smṛtaḥ

In the Kali age, only conventional practice has been declared as the norm, since people in it are of little sattva — this is why this rule has been remembered.

Verse 11 (skanda.6.223.11)

अत्र यः संकरं कुर्याद्योनेस्तस्य फलं शृणु ब्राह्मण्यां ब्राह्मणात्पुत्रो ब्रह्मघ्नः संप्रजायते

atra yaḥ saṁkaraṁ kuryādyonestasya phalaṁ śṛṇu brāhmaṇyāṁ brāhmaṇātputro brahmaghnaḥ saṁprajāyate

Hear the consequence for one who causes a mixing of birth in this matter: a son born from a brahmin woman by a brahmin man, when improperly conceived, becomes a brahmin-slayer [in effect].

Verse 12 (skanda.6.223.12)

सर्वाधमानामधमो यो वारड इति स्मृतः

sarvādhamānāmadhamo yo vāraḍa iti smṛtaḥ

He who is deemed the lowest of the low is remembered as the 'varada.'

Verse 13 (skanda.6.223.13)

क्षत्रियाच्च तथा सूतो वैश्यान्मागध एव च शूद्रात्तथांत्यजः प्रोक्तस्तेनैते वर्जिताः सुताः

kṣatriyācca tathā sūto vaiśyānmāgadha eva ca śūdrāttathāṁtyajaḥ proktastenaite varjitāḥ sutāḥ

From a kshatriya such improper offspring is called a suta, from a vaishya a magadha, and from a shudra an antyaja — therefore these offspring are excluded.

Verse 14 (skanda.6.223.14)

एतेषामपि निर्दिष्टाः सप्त राजन्सुपुत्रकाः पंच वंशविनाशाय पूर्वेषां पातनाय च

eteṣāmapi nirdiṣṭāḥ sapta rājansuputrakāḥ paṁca vaṁśavināśāya pūrveṣāṁ pātanāya ca

O king, among these, seven kinds are designated as good sons, while five kinds bring about the destruction of the lineage and the downfall of the forefathers.

Verse 15 (skanda.6.223.15)

औरसः प्रतिपन्नश्च क्रीतः पालित एव च शिष्यश्च दत्तजीवश्च तथाश्वत्थश्च सप्तमः

aurasaḥ pratipannaśca krītaḥ pālita eva ca śiṣyaśca dattajīvaśca tathāśvatthaśca saptamaḥ

The aurasa, the pratipanna, the bought son, the fostered son, the disciple-son, the one whose life was given back, and, seventh, the ashvattha —

Verse 16 (skanda.6.223.16)

पुंनाम्नो नरकाद्घोराद्रक्षंति च सदा हि ते पतन्तं पुरुषं तत्र तेन ते शोभनाः स्मृताः

puṁnāmno narakādghorādrakṣaṁti ca sadā hi te patantaṁ puruṣaṁ tatra tena te śobhanāḥ smṛtāḥ

— these ever save a man falling into the terrible hell called Pum; therefore they are remembered as auspicious.

Verse 17 (skanda.6.223.17)

क्षेत्रजश्च सहोढश्च कानीनः कुण्डगोलकौ पंचैते पातयंतिस्म पितॄन्स्वर्गगतानपि

kṣetrajaśca sahoḍhaśca kānīnaḥ kuṇḍagolakau paṁcaite pātayaṁtisma pitṝnsvargagatānapi

The kshetraja, the sahodha, the kanina, and the kunda and gola — these five cause the ancestors, even those who have gone to heaven, to fall.

Verse 18 (skanda.6.223.18)

एतस्मात्कारणाच्छ्राद्धं जारजातस्य तद्वृथा

etasmātkāraṇācchrāddhaṁ jārajātasya tadvṛthā

For this reason, the shraddha performed by one born of adultery is fruitless.