Agni Purana — Bhuvanakosha & Tirtha-mahatmya, Shloka 32
Chapter 114 — Gayā-māhātmya
The Greatness of Gayā
प्रसिद्धं सर्वतीर्थेभ्यः पित्रादेर्ब्रह्मलोकदं इत्युक्त्वा ते स्थिता देवा देव्यस्तीर्थादयः स्थिताः
prasiddhaṃ sarvatīrthebhyaḥ pitrāderbrahmalokadaṃ ityuktvā te sthitā devā devyastīrthādayaḥ sthitāḥ
Déclarant : «Ceci est renommé au-dessus de tous les tīrthas ; pour les Pitṛs et les autres, il confère l’accès à Brahmaloka», ces dieux demeurèrent en ce lieu ; et les déesses—avec les tīrthas et d’autres présences sacrées—y restèrent également établies.
Lord Agni (narrating within the Agni Purana’s discourse tradition)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Tirtha-Mahatmya","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Guides pilgrimage and śrāddha practice by asserting Gayā’s exceptional merit: offerings for Pitṛs yield Brahmaloka; supports prioritizing this tīrtha in ancestral rites.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Gayā as Sarva-tīrtha-śreṣṭha; Pitṛs Attain Brahmaloka","lookup_keywords":["sarva-tīrtha-śreṣṭha","Brahmaloka","pitṛ","Gayā","tīrtha-māhātmya"],"quick_summary":"The site is proclaimed superior among tīrthas; rites performed there, especially for ancestors, are said to grant Brahmaloka—hence its enduring ritual centrality."}
Alamkara Type: Atiśayokti (hyperbolic praise typical of māhātmya)
Concept: Tīrtha is a ‘merit amplifier’: place-based dharma channels (kṣetra-śakti) are upheld by divine presence; pitṛ-sevā through śrāddha is a high dharma leading to elevated lokas.
Application: Undertake Gayā-śrāddha/tarpaṇa with faith and correct procedure; treat pilgrimage as a disciplined dharmic act (niyama, dāna, brahmacarya during yātrā).
Khanda Section: Tirtha-Mahatmya (Pilgrimage Merit and Sacred Geography)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"The gods proclaim the tīrtha’s fame above all others; devas and devīs, along with personified tīrthas, remain established in the sacred landscape, indicating permanent sanctity and ancestral uplift.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, panoramic sacred landscape with river ghāṭa, devas and devīs stationed as guardians, personified tīrthas as luminous figures, inscription-like proclamation of supremacy, rich ochres and greens with stylized flora.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore, central depiction of Gayā tīrtha with gold-highlighted divine assembly, devīs flanking, symbolic Brahmaloka above as a golden celestial tier, ornate borders and temple arch motifs.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional pilgrimage tableau: ghāṭa, śrāddha platform, priests, devas/devīs subtly present, emphasis on orderly composition and ritual setting, delicate shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed riverside pilgrimage scene with priests performing śrāddha, divine figures faintly visible as protective presences, layered architecture and landscape, refined textiles and naturalistic water."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"contemplative"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: पित्रादेर्ब्रह्मलोकदं → पित्रादेः + ब्रह्मलोकदम्; इत्युक्त्वा → इति + उक्त्वा; देव्यस्तीर्थादयः → देव्यः + तीर्थादयः.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 114.29–31 (origin and kṣetra declaration); Agni Purana: Śrāddha-vidhi, pitṛ-tarpaṇa, and dāna chapters elsewhere
FAQs
It communicates tīrtha-phala doctrine: a particular sacred site is proclaimed superior among tīrthas and is said to confer Brahmaloka-attainment, including as a benefit connected with Pitṛ-related rites and merit-transfer.
By cataloging pilgrimage theology (tīrtha-māhātmya) and its stated results (phala) such as Brahmaloka, it exemplifies the Agni Purana’s broad coverage beyond mythology—mapping ritual merit, sacred geography, and afterlife goals.
The verse frames pilgrimage/association with the praised tīrtha as a high-merit act whose karmic fruit includes upliftment of one’s ancestral line (Pitṛs) and attainment of an exalted post-mortem realm (Brahmaloka).