Shloka 42
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
अभ्मपृष्ठे गयायां च निरविन्दे च पर्वते । तृतीयां क्रौज्चपद्यां च ब्रह्म॒हत्यां विशुध्यते,गयामें अश्मपृष्ठ (प्रेतशिला)-पर पितरोंको पिण्ड देनेसे पहली, निरविन्द पर्वतपर पिण्डदान करनेसे दूसरी तथा क्रौज्चपदी नामक तीर्थमें पिण्ड अर्पित करनेसे तीसरी ब्रह्महत्याको दूर करके मनुष्य सर्वथा शुद्ध हो जाता है
aśmapṛṣṭhe gayāyāṃ ca niravinde ca parvate | tṛtīyāṃ krauñcapadyāṃ ca brahmahatyāṃ viśudhyate ||
Ajadriya berkata: “Dengan mempersembahkan piṇḍa kepada para leluhur di Aśmapṛṣṭha di Gayā, sekali lagi di Gunung Niravinda, dan kali ketiga di tempat suci bernama Krauñcapadī, seseorang menjadi suci—bahkan daripada dosa besar brahmahatyā (membunuh seorang brāhmaṇa).”
अजड्रिय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that certain highly revered tīrthas—especially Gayā and related sites—are regarded in the dharma tradition as powerful means of prāyaścitta: through prescribed ancestral offerings (piṇḍa/śrāddha), even the gravest moral stain such as brahmahatyā is said to be removable, emphasizing repentance, ritual responsibility, and restoration to dharmic life.
A speaker named Ajadriya is describing the merit of specific pilgrimage locations and rites. He lists three places/occasions—Aśmapṛṣṭha at Gayā, Mount Niravinda, and the tīrtha Krauñcapadī—stating that performing the appropriate ancestral offerings there results in complete purification from the sin of brahmahatyā.