Shloka 86
The Procedure for Offering Piṇḍa (Funerary Rice-balls) — Gayā-māhātmya
तानि स्नातुं समायांति फल्गुतीर्थँ न संशयः । गंगा पादोदकं विष्णोः फल्गुश्चादिगदाधरः ॥ ८६ ॥
tāni snātuṃ samāyāṃti phalgutīrthaṃ na saṃśayaḥ | gaṃgā pādodakaṃ viṣṇoḥ phalguścādigadādharaḥ || 86 ||
तानि स्नातुं जनाः समायान्ति फल्गुतीर्थं न संशयः। गङ्गा विष्णोः पादोदकं, फल्गुश्चादिगदाधरसम्बन्धी॥
Suta (narrating the tirtha-mahatmya discourse)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It equates the sanctity of Phalgu-tīrtha with Viṣṇu’s divine association, paralleling Gaṅgā as Viṣṇu’s pādodaka, thereby presenting pilgrimage and snāna as direct means of accruing sacred merit through connection to Viṣṇu.
By identifying the tīrtha’s holiness with Viṣṇu (Gadādhara), the verse frames tīrtha-sevā and snāna as acts of Viṣṇu-bhakti—devotion expressed through reverence to places and waters linked to the Lord.
Ritual practice (kalpa-oriented conduct) is implied: tīrtha-snānā as a dhārmic observance. The verse functions as a prescriptive mahatmya statement guiding pilgrimage behavior rather than technical grammar/astrology.