The Greatness of Gayā
Gayā-Māhātmya
पप्रच्छ पुत्रार्थममित्रहंता तं ब्राह्मणाः प्रोचुरदीनसत्वाः । राजन् पितॄंस्तर्पय पुत्रहेतोर्गत्वा गयायां विधिवत्तु पिंडैः ॥ २७ ॥
papraccha putrārthamamitrahaṃtā taṃ brāhmaṇāḥ procuradīnasatvāḥ | rājan pitṝṃstarpaya putrahetorgatvā gayāyāṃ vidhivattu piṃḍaiḥ || 27 ||
وقد سأل قاتل الأعداء، رغبةً في ولدٍ، أولئك البراهمة. فأجاب البراهمة الثابتو العزم: «أيها الملك، إن كنت تطلب ولدًا فاذهب إلى غايا، ووفقًا للشرع والطقس، أرضِ الآباء (Pitṛ) بتقديم قرابين البيṇḍa وإجراء التَّرْپَṇa.»
Narrator (Suta/Pauraṇika voice) reporting the brāhmaṇas’ instruction to the king within the Gayā-māhātmya context
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
It teaches that honoring and satisfying the Pitṛs through properly performed śrāddha—especially piṇḍadāna at the Gayā-tīrtha—is a dharmic means believed to remove ancestral obstacles and support blessings such as progeny.
Though primarily a ritual instruction, it aligns with Purāṇic bhakti by emphasizing reverent, rule-based offerings and faith in sacred tīrthas; serving Pitṛs at Gayā is treated as a meritorious act within a larger devotional worldview.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implied through the term vidhivat—performing piṇḍa and tarpana according to prescribed rules of śrāddha at a designated tīrtha (Gayā).