Shloka 18
The Greatness of Gayā
Gayā-Māhātmya
युष्माकं स्याद्धि विरसा नदी पाषाणपर्वतः । स तैंस्तु प्रार्थितो ब्रह्मा तीर्थानिकृतवान्प्रभुः ॥ १८ ॥
yuṣmākaṃ syāddhi virasā nadī pāṣāṇaparvataḥ | sa taiṃstu prārthito brahmā tīrthānikṛtavānprabhuḥ || 18 ||
युष्माकं नदी विरसा स्यात् पाषाणपर्वतश्च स्यात् । तैस्तु प्रार्थितो ब्रह्मा प्रभुस्तीर्थानि चकार ह ॥
Narada (narrating within a tirtha-mahatmya passage; traditional dialogue frame with Sanatkumara lineage)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that a place becomes spiritually potent through the establishment of tīrthas—sacred access-points where merit, purification, and dharmic practice are intensified by divine sanction.
While not directly describing bhakti practices, it supports bhakti and dharma by showing that divine beings respond to sincere prayer (prārthanā), transforming ordinary nature into a sacred field for worship, vows, and remembrance.
It implicitly relates to Kalpa (ritual procedure) through the concept of tīrthas as prescribed locations for snāna, vrata observance, and purification rites, central to pilgrimage discipline in Purāṇic practice.