Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । वाजपेयफलं तस्य पुरा प्रोवाच शङ्करः
tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ | vājapeyaphalaṃ tasya purā provāca śaṅkaraḥ
Und wer in jenem Tīrtha badet und den Pitṛs und den Gottheiten zur Sättigung Tarpaṇa darbringt—Śaṅkara verkündete einst, dass dessen Lohn dem Ertrag des Vājapeya-Opfers gleichkommt.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Sarpa-tīrtha
Type: tirtha
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A pilgrim stands waist-deep in sacred waters, then performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle ancestral presences appear as luminous silhouettes; above, Śaṅkara’s approving presence is implied as a blessing of equivalence to Vājapeya.
FAQs
Simple tīrtha-based rites—bathing and honoring ancestors and gods—can bestow merits comparable to grand Vedic sacrifices.
Sarpa-tīrtha is praised for granting Vājapeya-equivalent merit through snāna and tarpaṇa.
Snāna (bathing) at the tīrtha and tarpaṇa (libations) to Pitṛs and deities.