Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 32, Shloka 22
Adhyaya 32 — Rules for Parvana Śrāddha: Foods that Please the Ancestors and Items to Avoid
श्वा चैव हन्ति श्राद्धानि यातुधानाश्च दर्शनात् ।
तस्मात् सुसंवृतो दद्याद् तिलैश्चावकिरन् महीम् ॥
śvā caiva hanti śrāddhāni yātudhānāś ca darśanāt / tasmāt susaṃvṛto dadyāt tilaiś cāvakiran mahīm
A dog indeed ruins śrāddha rites, and yātudhānas (malevolent beings) do so by mere appearance. Therefore one should present the offerings well covered and guarded, and should scatter sesame seeds upon the ground.
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FAQs
The rite must be protected from disturbance—both physical (animals) and unseen (hostile forces). Practical care (covering/guarding offerings) and traditional protections (tila) work together.
Dharma/ācāra instruction.
Sesame (tila) is widely associated with Pitṛs and protective purification. Scattering tila marks and seals the ritual space, symbolically feeding/appeasing appropriate forces while repelling impediments.