Shloka 3
The Greatness of Gayā
Gayā-Māhātmya
गयातीर्थं तु विख्यातं कथं लोके द्विजोत्तम । तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि कृपां कृत्वाधुना वद ॥ ३ ॥
gayātīrthaṃ tu vikhyātaṃ kathaṃ loke dvijottama | tadahaṃ śrotumicchāmi kṛpāṃ kṛtvādhunā vada || 3 ||
हे द्विजोत्तम! गयातीर्थ जगात कसे विख्यात झाले? ते मला ऐकायचे आहे; कृपा करून आता सांगा ॥ ३ ॥
Narada (inquiring)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It formally opens the Gaya-tīrtha narrative by asking for the cause of Gayā’s worldwide fame, signaling that its sanctity is grounded in a specific dharmic-mahātmya (sacred history and ritual potency).
Bhakti appears here as humility and earnest seeking: the speaker requests teaching “out of compassion,” establishing the devotional mood (śraddhā and vinaya) that frames later descriptions of sacred acts performed with faith.
The verse points toward tīrtha-dharma and pitṛ-related rites (such as śrāddha and piṇḍa-dāna at Gayā), which belong to applied ritual knowledge (kalpa/ācāra) rather than grammar or astrology in this specific line.