Shloka 24
The Procedure for Offering Piṇḍa (Funerary Rice-balls) — Gayā-māhātmya
तिलाज्यदधिमध्वादि पिंडद्रव्येषु योजयेत् । संबधिनस्तिलाद्यैश्च कुशैष्वावाहयेत्ततः ॥ २४ ॥
tilājyadadhimadhvādi piṃḍadravyeṣu yojayet | saṃbadhinastilādyaiśca kuśaiṣvāvāhayettataḥ || 24 ||
One should mix sesame, ghee, curd, honey, and similar substances into the materials for the piṇḍas. Then, using sesame and the like, one should invoke the related ancestors into the blades of kuśa grass.
Narada (instructional narration in ritual context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches the correct sanctification of piṇḍa offerings and the formal invocation (āvāhana) of the Pitṛs, emphasizing that ancestral rites must be performed with prescribed purity and method for the rite to become spiritually efficacious.
While primarily ritual, it supports bhakti through disciplined dharma: honoring Pitṛs as part of sacred duty, performed with reverence and correctness, becomes an offering-minded act aligned with devotional living.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Smṛti-based prayoga: the use of specific dravyas (tila, ghee, curd, honey) and the kuśa-āvāhana method as a technical rule for śrāddha performance.