Determination of Lunar Days

Determination of Lunar Days 23

...given. When the Eleventh Day Ekadashi is free from being "pierced" original: "viddha"; a technical term meaning the previous lunar day overlaps with the current one at sunrise by the Tenth Day Dashami, even if only a small portion of the Twelfth Day Dwadashi is seen on the following day, that Eleventh Day is the one for fasting; the other is forbidden. ||1||

Regarding the increase of the Twelfth Day, the sage Vyasa states:
The conjunction of the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth days is known as a "Touch" Trisprisha. ||3||
If the New Moon Amavasya is pure and full for sixty Ghatikas a unit of time, approx. 24 minutes; 60 Ghatikas equals a full 24-hour day and increases slightly into the next day, it is called Pakshavardhini the "Fortnight-Expander". ||4||

Specific auspicious names for the Eleventh Day based on star conjunctions:

• With the Punarvasu constellation, it is called Jaya. ||5||
• With the Shravana constellation, it is called Vijaya. ||6||
• With the Pushya constellation, it is called Papanashini the "Sin-Destroyer". ||7||
• With the Rohini constellation, it is called Jayanti. ||8||

When the constellations Rohini and Shravana overlap and extend into the next day, as mentioned in the Puranas ancient Hindu texts containing mythology and law, the performance of rites is stated separately. If the lunar day tithi exceeds the duration of the constellation, the breaking of the fast parana should occur at the end of the constellation.

In the work Narsimha Paricharya:
Whether the light increases or decreases, the essence of the lunar day tithitva remains that which bestows all fruits at the proper time. ||9||
Thus, those who understand the "piercing" of days original: "viddhavido" say that after eating on the Eleventh Day, one should not consume anything else. Some say that if there is no decrease or loss, one should not eat on the Twelfth Day. On the day of the Sankranti the sun's transition into a new zodiac sign or on the Twelfth Day, a son should not fast if his father is alive.

Determination of the Great Twelfth Day

Now, the determination of the Great Twelfth Day Maha-Dwadashi. Here are the holy days: the New Moon, the Seventh Day falling on a Sunday, the Fourth Day on a Tuesday, or the Seventh Day on a Wednesday. These three conjunctions are equal to a solar eclipse in merit. These are the holy times for offering libations Tarpana. On the preceding day, one should perform the Amavasya Shraddha ancestral offering on the new moon. If not possible in person, one should offer the water libations tithitodakam on the following day.

Smriti 23

Daily libations Nitya-Tarpana should be performed after the ancestral rite Shraddha. However, in certain specific rites, libations are forbidden. As stated in the Naradiya Purana:
During rites of purification, ancestral offerings involving the rice-ball Sapinda-Shraddha, or monthly rites for the recently deceased Preta-Shraddha, one should not perform their regular daily libation. In the afternoon, during monthly rites, the ancestors' work is spread out; daily libations are forbidden during the performance of ancestral rites.

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Regarding the statement that libations should be performed on the same day as the ancestral rite, that refers to specific rules for libations. Even there, daily libations are the rule; the use of sesame seeds tila is what is restricted on certain days. If there is a doubt about inviting Brahmins for the New Moon rite, the rite should be performed in the morning.

As stated in the Smriti Ratnavali citing the words of Manu:
On the Seventh Day falling on a Sunday, or on the anniversary of the death of one's mother or father, if one performs libations with sesame seeds, it is as if one is a "killer of the day" an expression meaning the ritual merit is destroyed.

However, according to the words of Katyayana:
During an eclipse, for a father's rite, on the New Moon, or during a solar transition Sankranti, one should perform libations with sesame seeds even if generally forbidden.

Thus, the libation to be performed on the second day as part of the ancestral rite is a separate subject. Following the previously mentioned collected sayings, the complete ancestral rite including libations should be done at the allotted time. After the ancestral libation, one should remember the daily rules and put on their ritual clothing. In the Paksha Shraddha the fortnight dedicated to ancestors or the rite performed with gold Hiranya-Shraddha, the libation and the "handful of water" for the ancestors should be given immediately after the Brahmin has been purified. The daily libation should always occur before that.

The merit is equal to a thousand horse-sacrifices Ashvamedha for one who performs this throughout the year. After the ancestral rite, one should perform the libations for the lineages of the mother and father. In rites performed at holy pilgrimage sites Tirtha or on the New Moon, the libation follows the same pattern. For rites like the Ashtaka rites performed on the eighth day of the waning moon in winter months, these should be performed as stated. By these rules, the satisfaction of the ancestors—who take the forms of the Vasus, Rudras, and Adityas three classes of Vedic deities associated with the ancestors—is achieved, according to the essence of the Smriti texts. In the context of the Mahalaya, the solar transition, and other rites, the libation ends with a salutation to Yama the God of Death...