Essay name: Brahma Purana (critical study)
Author:
Surabhi H. Trivedi
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This is an English study of the Brahmapurana鈥攐ne of the eighteen major Puranas which occupies an important place in the Pauranic literature. This study researches the rich an encyclopaedic material for social, religious, philosophical, mythological, political, geographical and literary study found in the Brahma-Purana.
Religion
45 (of 132)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
710
the sraddhas of all the deceased whose sraddhas the father
Elsewhere it is stated that the
performs (220.205,206).
Brahmins, Ksatrayas, and Valsyas should perform the sraddha
according to the customs of their families and the performance
should be accompanied with the recitation of mantras but the
women and the Suudras should perform the sraddha according to
the instructions of brahmins and their performance should
not be accompanied by the recitation of the mantras (220.3-4,
222.14).
Time to Perform Sraddha
The next question is about the times when sraddha
is to be performed. Sraddha originally meant a sacrifice
performed for the fathers on Amavasya.77 The Br. P. also
and
follows the ancient tradition states that the proper time
1 L
to perform sraddhas is the Amavasya of every month (220.10).
Ak is sax The Br. P.
78 says that the afternoon is prefer-
rable to the forenoon for the performance of sraddhas as the
afternoon is liked more by the pitrs. The Brahma purana79
sums up in one place the times for performing sraddhas:
77 Gautama-Dharma-Sutra 15.1-2.
78 (220.120), of. Ap.Dh,Su. (II.7.16.4-7) and Manu
(III.276-278).
79 220.51-58, also cf. Anusasanaparva 87.18; Manu III.276;
Yaj. 1.217-218, Kurma II.20.2-8, Markandeya 28.20 ff;
Varaha 13.33-35.
