Shloka 5
The Determination of the Extent of the Sacred Field and Related Matters
Kurukṣetra Māhātmya
ब्रह्मज्ञानं गयाश्राद्धं गोग्रहे मरणं तथा । वासः पुंसां कुरुक्षेत्रे मुक्तिरुक्ता चतुर्विधा ॥ ५ ॥
brahmajñānaṃ gayāśrāddhaṃ gograhe maraṇaṃ tathā | vāsaḥ puṃsāṃ kurukṣetre muktiruktā caturvidhā || 5 ||
La realización de Brahman, el śrāddha ancestral celebrado en Gayā, la muerte en un refugio de vacas (gogṛha) y la residencia en Kurukṣetra: estos cuatro son declarados como los cuatro medios que conducen a la liberación para los seres humanos.
Narada (teaching in a tirtha-mahatmya context; dialogue tradition with Sanatkumara lineage implied)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It compresses a tirtha-mahatmya teaching into a fourfold moksha framework—inner realization (brahmajñāna) and three sacred, dharmic supports (Gayā śrāddha, death in a gośālā, and living in Kurukṣetra) that are praised as powerful liberating causes.
Though it names brahmajñāna explicitly, the other three means are devotional-dharmic acts tied to pilgrimage, ancestral offerings, and service to cows—practices traditionally performed with faith and surrender, aligning one’s life with sacred duty and remembrance of the Divine.
Ritual application is central: proper śrāddha performance at Gayā (kalpa/ritual procedure) and kṣetra-dharma (rules of sacred places). The verse points to dharmic praxis rather than technical sciences like jyotiṣa or vyākaraṇa.