Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 5
तत्र तीर्थे तु यः स्नात्वा तर्पयेत्पितृदेवताः । वाजपेयफलं तस्य पुरा प्रोवाच शङ्करः
tatra tīrthe tu yaḥ snātvā tarpayetpitṛdevatāḥ | vājapeyaphalaṃ tasya purā provāca śaṅkaraḥ
Et quiconque se baigne en ce tīrtha et offre le tarpaṇa pour contenter les Pitṛs et les divinités—Śaṅkara déclara jadis que sa récompense égale le fruit du sacrifice Vājapeya.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Sarpa-tīrtha
Type: tirtha
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A pilgrim stands waist-deep in sacred waters, then performs tarpaṇa with cupped hands; subtle ancestral presences appear as luminous silhouettes; above, Śaṅkara’s approving presence is implied as a blessing of equivalence to Vājapeya.
FAQs
Simple tīrtha-based rites—bathing and honoring ancestors and gods—can bestow merits comparable to grand Vedic sacrifices.
Sarpa-tīrtha is praised for granting Vājapeya-equivalent merit through snāna and tarpaṇa.
Snāna (bathing) at the tīrtha and tarpaṇa (libations) to Pitṛs and deities.