Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 49
पिण्डदानाद्गयातुल्यं लप्स्यंते फलमुत्तमम् । पुण्यदानफलं चात्र संख्याहीनं द्विजोत्तम
piṇḍadānādgayātulyaṃ lapsyaṃte phalamuttamam | puṇyadānaphalaṃ cātra saṃkhyāhīnaṃ dvijottama
By offering piṇḍa here, one obtains the highest fruit, equal to that of Gayā. And the merit gained from holy gifts in this place is beyond counting, O best of twice-born.
Pulastya (contextual)
Tirtha: Māmuhrada
Type: kund
Listener: Dvijottama
Scene: On a stone ghat beside a calm kund, a householder offers piṇḍas of rice and sesame with darbha grass, while a priest guides mantras; ancestors are suggested as subtle luminous forms receiving offerings; nearby, gifts of food and cloth are distributed.
FAQs
The Purāṇic tradition elevates certain tīrthas as spiritually potent—ancestral offerings and charity there yield extraordinary, immeasurable merit.
The local Arbuda Khaṇḍa tīrtha under discussion is praised as ‘Gayā-like’ for piṇḍadāna efficacy.
Piṇḍadāna (ancestral offering) and puṇya-dāna (charitable gifting) performed at this tīrtha.