chravaṇas tisra uttarāḥ
māsarkṣāṇi yutāny api
dvādaśyām anurādhā syāc
chravaṇas tisra uttarāḥ
tisṛṣv ekādaśī vāsu
janmarkṣa-śroṇa-yoga-yuk
He should perform the śrāddha ceremony at the winter and summer solstices, at spring and autumn equinoxes, in the yoga named Vyatīpāta, on the day in which three lunar tithis are conjoined, during an eclipse of either the moon or the sun, or on the twelfth lunar day when the moon is the Śravaṇa-nakṣatra. He should perform this ceremony on the Akṣaya-tṛtīyā day, during Navamī of the bright fortnight of Kārtika, on the four Aṣṭamīs of the dark fortnight during Hemanta and Śiśira seasons (four months), on the Saptamī of the bright fortnight of the month of Māgha, during the conjunction of Maghā-nakṣatra and the full-moon day, and on the days when the moon is completely full, or not quite completely full, conjoined with the constellations during the month from which the names of the months are derived. He should also perform the śrāddha ceremony on the Dvādaśī when it is in conjunction with any of the constellations named Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. He should perform this ceremony when the Ekādaśī is in conjunction with either Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā or Uttara-bhādrapadā. Finally, he should perform this ceremony when his own birth constellation or Śravaṇa constellation have special astrological combinations.
One should perform the śrāddha rites on the solstices and equinoxes, and before the summer solstice, and before that on the Akṣaya-tṛtīya. During the Hemanta and Śiśira seasons there are four Aṣṭamīs of the dark fortnight. On those days one should perform śrāddhas. Each month is named after a constellation. When the full moon, or slightly less, joins the constellation during the month named after it, one should perform śrāddha rites. Amara-koṣa says that anumati means one phase less than a full moon and rākā means a full moon. One should perform the śrāddhas on Dvādaśī conjoined with Anurādhā, Śravaṇa, Uttaraphalgunī, Uttaraāśaḍhā and Uttarabhādrapadā, or when the latter three conjoin an Ekādaśī. One should not combine this with Ekādaśī fast since śrāddha rites are forbidden on fast days. Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa says:
ye kurvanti mahīpāla-śrāddhañ caikādaśī-dine
trayas te narakaṁ yānti dātā bhoktā prerakaḥ
Those who perform śrāddha rites on the Ekādaśī day, the giver of food, the receiver of food, and the person who orders the rites, go to hell.
Since one cannot perform the offerings to the Pitṛs on fast days, one should do that on the next day, according to Padma Purāṇa:
ekādaśyān tu prāptāyāṁ mātā-pitror mṛte ’hani
dvādaśyāṁ tat pradātavyaṁ nopavāsadine kvacit
If one’s mother or father dies on Ekādaśī, one should offer rites on the Dvādaśī, not on the fast day.
In the Puṣkara-khaṇḍa it is said:
ekādaśyāṁ yadā rāma śrāddhaṁ naimittikaṁ bhavet
tad dinan tu parityajya dvādaśyāṁ śrāddham ācaret
O Rāma! When śrāddhas occur on the Ekādaśī one should reject that day and perform them on the Dvādaśī.
When one’ birth constellation or Śravana constellation have special astrological combinations (yogas), one should perform this rite.
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