Respects to the Dead

How should respects to one’s dead ancestors be paid? The sage Markandeya once discussed this at great length with Varaha.

The number of generations who classify as ancestors is seven. To these, one must pay one’s respects. Four of these ancestral generations are regarded as manifest, the remaining three being regarded as abstract.

Material wealth is no constraint on a funeral ceremony. Even if a pauper salutes his forefathers with folded palms, the forefathers receive the benefits of a full-fledged funeral ceremony. There are no restrictions on when a funeral (shraddha) ceremony can be performed. It can be performed at the time of the equinoxes, at the time of lunar eclipses, when unfavourable stars (nakshatras) are in the sky and even after having bad dreams. But shraddha ceremonies performed on auspicious occasions do bring a lot of additional punya. For example, if a ceremony is performed on the eighth day of the lunar fortnight (ashtami), the ancestors are satisfied for a thousand years.