Shloka 77
The Greatness of Gayā
Gayā-Māhātmya
तत्राधिगम्य मुच्येत पुरुषो योनिसंकटात् । शुक्लकृष्णावुभौ पक्षौ गयायां यो वसेन्नृपः ॥ ७७ ॥
tatrādhigamya mucyeta puruṣo yonisaṃkaṭāt | śuklakṛṣṇāvubhau pakṣau gayāyāṃ yo vasennṛpaḥ || 77 ||
तत्राधिगम्य मुच्येत पुरुषो योनिसंकटात् । शुक्लकृष्णावुभौ पक्षौ गयायां यो वसेन्नृपः ॥
Narada (addressing a King in the Gaya Mahatmya narrative)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It declares the exceptional merit of Gayā: merely reaching it and observing a full lunar month there (both fortnights) is said to cut the suffering of repeated womb-birth (yoni-saṅkaṭa), pointing to Gayā as a moksha-oriented tīrtha.
While the verse stresses tīrtha-vāsa (dwelling in a holy place), its implied bhakti framework is disciplined residence with reverence and sacred observance—living in Gayā as an act of surrender to dharma that supports inner purification and liberation.
It uses the lunar calendar discipline—śukla and kṛṣṇa pakṣa (the two fortnights)—a practical timing principle aligned with Jyotiṣa (Vedāṅga astronomy/astrology) for planning pilgrimage observances and vows.