The Greatness of Offering Piṇḍas at Viṣṇvādipada (Viṣṇupada) — Gayā Śrāddha Procedure and Fruits
फल्गुतीर्थे चतुर्थे च स्नानादिकमथाचरेत् । गयाशिरस्यथो श्राद्धं पदे कुर्यात्सपिंडकम् ॥ १५ ॥
phalgutīrthe caturthe ca snānādikamathācaret | gayāśirasyatho śrāddhaṃ pade kuryātsapiṃḍakam || 15 ||
Then, at Phalgu-tīrtha and at the fourth sacred spot, one should perform bathing and related rites. Thereafter, at Gayāśiras one should perform śrāddha, and at (Viṣṇu’s) Footprint one should perform the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa rite.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
It prescribes a sacred sequence at Gaya-region tirthas—purificatory bathing, then śrāddha, culminating in sapiṇḍīkaraṇa at Viṣṇupada—presenting tirtha-yatra as a complete path for purification and ancestral uplift.
By directing the final rite to Viṣṇupada (the Lord’s footprint), it frames ancestral duties as offerings anchored in Viṣṇu-centered sanctity, where dharma is fulfilled through reverence to the Lord at a maha-tirtha.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is emphasized—specific places and the ordered performance of snāna, śrāddha, and sapiṇḍīkaraṇa—showing applied śrauta/smārta ritual logic within a tirtha-mahātmya context.