Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
Śrāddha-prayoga: Niyama, Brāhmaṇa-parīkṣā, Kutapa-kāla, Tithi-nyāya, and Vaiṣṇava-phala
भ्रातृभिः कारयेच्छ्राद्धं साग्निकैर्विधिवद्द्विजैः । क्षयाहे चैव संप्रात्पे स्वस्याग्निर्दूरगो यदि ॥ ५३ ॥
bhrātṛbhiḥ kārayecchrāddhaṃ sāgnikairvidhivaddvijaiḥ | kṣayāhe caiva saṃprātpe svasyāgnirdūrago yadi || 53 ||
If, when the kṣaya-aha—the day for performing Śrāddha for the ancestors—has arrived, one’s own sacred fire is far away, one should have the Śrāddha performed through one’s brothers, by duly qualified twice-born brāhmaṇas who maintain the fire (sāgnika), in accordance with proper procedure.
Narada (teaching Śrāddha-dharma in dialogue context)
Vrata: Śrāddha (kṣayāha/annual or appointed ancestral day)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
FAQs
It teaches that sincerity and continuity of Pitṛ-dharma matter: even if one’s own ritual resources (like the sacred fire) are unavailable, the ancestral rite should still be completed through proper representatives and qualified priests, preserving dharma and gratitude to the ancestors.
While primarily ritual-focused, it aligns with bhakti as disciplined duty (sevā-bhāva): honoring lineage and sacred obligations with humility—seeking rightful help rather than neglecting the rite—supports a life ordered toward divine and ancestral reverence.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa-based timing are implied through the mention of kṣaya-aha (a prescribed/astronomically reckoned Śrāddha day) and the requirement of vidhivat performance by sāgnika dvijas.