Agni Purana — Bhuvanakosha & Tirtha-mahatmya, Shloka 7
अध्याय ११५ — गयायात्राविधिः
Procedure for the Pilgrimage to Gayā
गयां यास्यति यः पुत्रः स नस्त्राता भविष्यति मुण्डनञ्चोपवासश् च सर्वतीर्थेष्वयं विधिः
gayāṃ yāsyati yaḥ putraḥ sa nastrātā bhaviṣyati muṇḍanañcopavāsaś ca sarvatīrtheṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ
Le fils qui se rend à Gayā deviendra notre sauveur (libérateur). Le rasage de la tête et le jeûne : telle est la règle prescrite dans tous les tīrtha, lieux saints de pèlerinage.
Lord Agni (in discourse to Sage Vasiṣṭha, as per the common Agni Purāṇa frame)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Vrata","secondary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","practical_application":"Pilgrimage protocol for śrāddha-supportive tīrtha-yātrā: undertake head-shaving (muṇḍana) and fasting (upavāsa) as preparatory purification at sacred sites, especially Gayā for pitṛ-kārya.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Sarva-tīrtha-vidhi: Muṇḍana and Upavāsa; Gayā-yātrā as Pitṛ-trāṇa","lookup_keywords":["Gayā-yātrā","muṇḍana","upavāsa","tīrtha-vidhi","pitṛ-trāṇa"],"quick_summary":"A son’s pilgrimage to Gayā is framed as salvific for ancestors; the general tīrtha rule is head-shaving and fasting as a purification vow before/alongside rites."}
Concept: Putra-dharma as pitṛ-ṛṇa-nivṛtti (repayment of ancestral debt) through tīrtha and niyama (vows).
Application: Undertake disciplined observances (fasting, shaving, purity) to support ancestral rites and cultivate filial responsibility.
Khanda Section: Tīrtha-vidhi (Pilgrimage rites and śrāddha-related observances)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: Tirtha
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devoted son arriving at Gayā, head newly shaved, observing a fast, carrying ritual items for śrāddha; elders/priests indicate the tīrtha rules.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala temple mural style, Gayā tīrtha riverbank, son with shaved head and simple white cloth, priest holding darbha and kamaṇḍalu, subdued earth reds and greens, sacred austerity mood, flat iconic composition","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, central figure of the son in vrata attire with shaved head, gold-leaf halo-like ornament around a symbolic Gayā tīrtha shrine, rich reds, ornate borders, devotional solemnity","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, instructional depiction of muṇḍana and upavāsa before tīrtha rites, clean linework, labeled ritual objects (darbha, pātra), calm palette, didactic clarity","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, detailed riverbank at Gayā with pilgrims, barber performing head-shaving, fasting son seated with water pot, fine architectural backdrop, naturalistic figures, delicate brushwork"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"devotional","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नस्त्राता = नः + त्राता; मुण्डनञ्चोपवासः = मुण्डनम् + च + उपवासः; सर्वतीर्थेष्वयं = सर्वतीर्थेषु + अयम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 115 (Tīrtha-vidhi/Śrāddha-vidhi sequence)
FAQs
It prescribes a tīrtha-vidhi: undertaking pilgrimage (notably to Gayā) with ancillary observances—muṇḍana (tonsure) and upavāsa (fasting)—as standard ritual disciplines at sacred sites.
Beyond theology, it catalogs practical dharma: concrete pilgrimage protocols and the social-religious role of a son in ancestral rites, showing the text’s wide coverage of ritual law and tīrtha practice.
Going to Gayā is presented as an act that enables a son to become a ‘deliverer’ for his forebears, while fasting and tonsure function as purification disciplines that intensify the merit (puṇya) of tīrtha observance.