Can daughters perform last rites and śrāddha?

several dharmaśāstra works allow a daughter or her son to offer śrāddha when there is no son, and today many daughters perform last rites with family blessing.

Classical texts generally name the son as the first person to perform antyeṣṭi (cremation) and śrāddha. But they also give an order of alternatives for when there is no son, and several dharmaśāstra digests include the wife, the daughter and the daughter’s son (dauhitra) among those who may offer. The Garuḍa Purāṇa and later nibandhas discuss such lists, and local custom has always varied.

In practice, many families today — and many priests — accept daughters lighting the funeral pyre and performing śrāddha, especially where there is no son or where she is the one who cared for the parent. Ceremonies at Gayā and elsewhere are increasingly performed by daughters.

What the tradition asks above all is that the departed be remembered with love, food and water offered with faith, and the rites done sincerely. Discuss with your family and priest; if your situation is specific, Ask Chiluka.

Source: Garuḍa Purāṇa; dharmaśāstra digests · Dauhitra: the daughter’s son

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