pitr paksha started today

[Vidyasankar]

On Thu, 6 Sep 2001 17:49:15 -0400, Ravi Mayavaram <msr at COMCO.COM> wrote:

>On Tue, 4 Sep 2001 00:00:19 -0400, Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at BRAINCELLS.COM>
>wrote:
>>
>>It is interesting that according to the digvijayas Shankaracharya even
>>though he was a sannyasi and thus beyond karma, returned to perform his
>>mothers shraddha despite the censure of the Brahmans of Kaladi.
>>
>
>Moral of this incident (IMO) is the importance of keeping one's word. Since
>shankara promised  (before he took sannyAsa) to his mother that he will do
>her cremation, he was bound by his word.  It could not be cast away, like
>rest of the things.
>

Yes, there is this intention in the Digvijaya, to convey this moral.

There is another aspect to remember. The monk, whether a vidvat sannyAsin
or a vividishA sannyAsin, has to at least take a bath when his mother
passes away. It is only an extension to actually perfom the cremation
rituals too. The sannyAsa rules allow for exceptions in cases where no
other male relation can be found to do them. So, although it may not have
been necessary for Sankaracharya to perform any rituals, he would have done
it to set the example for future generations to follow.

Vidyasankar