shraddha

shraddha, in Hinduism, a ceremony performed in honor of a dead ancestor. The rite is both a social and a religious responsibility enjoined on all male Hindus (with the exception of some sannyasis, or ascetics). The importance given in India to the birth of sons reflects the need to ensure that there will be a male descendant to perform the shraddha ceremony after one’s death. The word for this funeral rite (Sanskrit: śrāddha) should not...