The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu
Gadādhara
एतच्च रैभ्यनिर्दिष्टं स्तोत्रं विष्णोर्गदाभृतः । यः पठेत् स गयां गत्वा पिण्डदानाद् विशिष्यते ॥ ७.४५ ॥
etac ca raibhya-nirdiṣṭaṁ stotraṁ viṣṇor gadā-bhṛtaḥ | yaḥ paṭhet sa gayāṁ gatvā piṇḍa-dānād viśiṣyate || 7.45 ||
Inilah stotra yang diajarkan oleh Raibhya, mengenai Viṣṇu, Sang Pemegang gada. Sesiapa yang membacanya, walaupun telah pergi ke Gayā, dikatakan memperoleh pahala yang mengatasi pahala persembahan piṇḍa.
Varāha (default speaker per dialogue framework; explicit speaker not stated in the fragment)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"dialogue","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"observer","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"Gayā","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"shraddha","instruction_summary":"विष्णुस्तोत्रपाठः श्राद्धकर्मणः (गयापिण्डदानस्य) अपि अतिशयपुण्यकरः इति फलश्रुतिः।","karmic_consequence":"स्तोत्रपाठेन महत् पुण्यं/पितृतृप्ति-समं वा अधिकं फलम्; उपेक्षायां तद्भाग्यलाभाभावः।"}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"name-and-stotra-mahatmya","core_concept":"विष्णुभक्ति-स्तुति कर्मकाण्डफलान् अतिशेते; अन्तःकरणशुद्ध्या परमफलप्राप्तिः।","practical_application":"नित्यं/तीर्थयात्रायां विष्णुस्तोत्रपाठं कुर्यात्; श्राद्धादौ अपि भगवन्नाम-कीर्तनं संयोजयेत्।"}
Subject Matter: ["Heritage Sites","Ethics","Sacred Geography","Ritual Studies"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
Type: tirtha (pitr-tirtha)
Related Themes: 7.7.41-44 (रैभ्य-स्तोत्र-प्रसङ्ग)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"वक्ता (वराह/विष्णु) रैभ्यनिर्दिष्टं विष्णुस्तोत्रं प्रशंसति; पृष्ठभूमौ गया-तीर्थे पिण्डदानदृश्यं संकेततः।","item_prompts":["विष्णु/वराह वक्ता","पाण्डुलिपि/स्तोत्रपाठ","गया-तीर्थघाटः","पिण्डदान (तिल-जल-आहुति)","पितृ-तर्पणपात्रम्"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Vishnu/Varaha-like narrator gesturing to a scroll, inset vignette of Gaya ghat with a devotee offering pindas, warm earthy palette.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central Vishnu with gold aura, side panel showing Gaya shraddha with offerings, heavy gold embellishment on deity and halo.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: balanced composition—deity explaining, subtle secondary scene of pinda-dana at a riverbank, fine detailing of ritual vessels.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative split scene—sage reciting stotra in foreground, Gaya riverbank ritual in background, delicate architecture and flowing water."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"phala-shruti-affirming","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"assured, declarative, devotional"}
It reflects a Purāṇic strategy of linking devotional recitation (stotra-paṭhana) with established pilgrimage and ancestral-rite landscapes, especially Gayā, a major locus in South Asian ritual history for śrāddha and piṇḍa offerings.
Gayā is named explicitly (Gayām). In historical geography it corresponds to the Gayā region in present-day Bihar, India, long documented as a śrāddha/ancestral-rite pilgrimage center.
The verse prioritizes disciplined recitation and remembrance (a form of cultivated attention and speech-ethics) alongside pilgrimage practice, presenting a comparative framework of merit without prescribing coercive obligation.
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.