Shloka 42
Brāhmaṇya-प्रश्नः — The Inquiry into Attaining Brāhmaṇya
Mataṅga–Gardabhī Itihāsa
अभ्मपृष्ठे गयायां च निरविन्दे च पर्वते । तृतीयां क्रौज्चपद्यां च ब्रह्म॒हत्यां विशुध्यते
aśmapṛṣṭhe gayāyāṃ ca niravinde ca parvate | tṛtīyāṃ krauñcapadyāṃ ca brahmahatyāṃ viśudhyate ||
अश्मपृष्ठे गयायां च निरविन्दे च पर्वते । तृतीयां क्रौञ्चपद्यां च ब्रह्महत्यां विशुध्यते ॥
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.