Shloka 86
The Greatness of Gayā
Gayā-Māhātmya
यत्राक्षयो वटो नाम वर्तते लोकविश्रुतः । गयेन यजमानेन तत्रेष्टं क्रतुना पुरा ॥ ८६ ॥
yatrākṣayo vaṭo nāma vartate lokaviśrutaḥ | gayena yajamānena tatreṣṭaṃ kratunā purā || 86 ||
यत्र लोकविश्रुतोऽक्षयवटो नाम वटः स्थितः, तत्रैव पुरा गयेन यजमानेन क्रतुना इष्टं कृतम्॥
Narada (in dialogue context with the Sanatkumara brothers)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It identifies Akṣaya-vaṭa as a world-famous sacred marker at Gaya and grounds the site’s holiness in ancient Vedic sacrifice performed there, reinforcing Gaya’s status as a powerful tirtha for merit-bearing rites.
By pointing to a sanctified place established through sacrificial worship, the verse supports the bhakti-oriented Purāṇic idea that devotion expressed through reverent pilgrimage and worship at holy tirthas becomes a direct means of accruing spiritual merit.
It references the kratu system—formal Vedic ritual practice—implying knowledge of kalpa (ritual procedure) and the role of the yajamāna (sacrificial patron) in correctly conducting sacrificial offerings at a prescribed sacred location.