[Advaita-l] Pitru Paksha Questions

[Venkata sriram P]

Namaste,
 
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Two Brahmins are fed food in the Sraddha. Can one Brahmin be
sufficient? If Brahmins are not available can you use Darbha
substitute?

In some cases it is seen that the purohit himself will officiate as one of
the two brahmins.
 
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I have the case of non-availability of sadAchAri brahmins.  
 
My guruji's father was an AhitAgni and lived in a remote village.  
During the performance of shrAddha ceremony to his departed father,
he invited 2 bhOktAs on that day thru their family purOhita.  
One of the bhOkta had his morning breakfast elsewhere and the other bhOkta 
was chewing betel nuts (paan).  
 
Being a sadAchAri,  he asked those bhOktAs not to enter their home.
Instead, he put 2 dharbhAs and invoked the pitru devatas into them and performed
the shrAddha.  He was a bAlA mantra siddha.  That same night, he had a
dream in which a small girl appeared with a beaming smile which he took
it as a positive nod from Divine Mother.
 
If one is not able to perform the shrAddha, it is said that atleast on the day
of shrAddha, one should remember their beloved parents and cry facing the south
with a feeling of guilt.  This paschAttApa is enough to bring the grace of pitru devatas.
 
Afterall, it is the love & affection towards our parents which is most important during
the shrAddha (shraddhayA dIyatE iti shrAddhaH).
 
regs,
sriram