WHETHER WOMEN HAVE KARTUTVA TO PERFORM THE LAST RITES?

There are 35 persons who have the eligibility of kartrutva. Out of these, the following women have the kartrutva in the descending order of preference:
(a) PatnI --Wife
(b) PutrI -- Daughter
(c) mAtA -- Mother
(d) SnushA -- Daughter-in-Law
(e) PautrI --- Son's daughter
(f) DauhitrI --- Daughter's daughter
(g) Pautrasya PatnI -- Wife of Son's Son
(h) Pautrasya PutrI-- Daughter of Son's Son
(i) Dattasya PatNI --- Wife of Datta
(j) BhaginI -- Sister

It has to be kept in view that while Kartrutva is there for women as above, they cannot perform the religious rites independently themselves. They have to do the sankalpa and entrust performance of the rites to a BrAhmaNa of their choice who has undergone upanayanam. This is done symbolically by the woman concerned by handing over the darbha after the sankalpa to the BrAhmaNa as aforesaid. The Rites would be performed by the above BrAhmaNa.