There was a discussion on the issue that when a warrior dies in a battle, he would reach heaven and in such cases, the obituary rites like offering balls of rice or pinda for a dead soldier was a contradiction in Hinduism.
My evaluation of the situation is as follows.
Here we are faced with extraordinary rules and dicta given forth to praise certain activities and qualities like Kshatra Dharma.. and the conclusion that those dead in battle would reach heaven even without any pindam..
But, while making such declarations, it has to be noted tha nowhere, the basic rules common to all are ever declared as kept suspended..
So the man on earth and surviving has to follow the majority rule, or the rule of the majority as well as the extraordinary rules so long as they do not conflict with one another..
The crunch will be there only if there is an overruling or exclusive provision that those who die in battle should not be offered pindam..
Actually such a rule is there for those who die after assuming sannyasam..
So there is no conflict here..
If there is a rule that one should eat rice, and another rule that one should eat wheat, both can be followed alternately or even jointly. The problem will arise only if there is a rule that nothing other than rice should be eaten, or nothing other than wheat should be eaten..
Here there is not such stipulation.. And therefore there is no contradiction too.
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