Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25
श्राद्धकाले नरो भक्त्या यश्चैतत्पठति स्वयम् । स गयाश्राद्धजं कृत्स्नं फलमाप्नोत्यसंशयम्
śrāddhakāle naro bhaktyā yaścaitatpaṭhati svayam | sa gayāśrāddhajaṃ kṛtsnaṃ phalamāpnotyasaṃśayam
Pada waktu śrāddha, sesiapa yang dengan bhakti membacanya sendiri, nescaya memperoleh seluruh pahala yang terbit daripada melaksanakan śrāddha di Gayā.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic speaker not explicit in this verse)
Tirtha: Gayā (as comparative phala); local Nāgara-khaṇḍa tīrtha implied
Type: kshetra
Scene: A householder at a śrāddha setting recites a sacred passage with folded hands; pitṛs are envisioned receiving offerings; a distant silhouette of Gayā’s sacred landscape appears as a symbolic comparison.
FAQs
Devotional recitation connected to a tīrtha-māhātmya can confer pilgrimage-level merit when aligned with ritual time (śrāddha-kāla).
Gayā is referenced as the benchmark for śrāddha merit, while the recited content pertains to Rāmahrada’s māhātmya.
During śrāddha time, recite this māhātmya/devotional passage to gain the full fruit akin to Gayā-śrāddha.