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The Sanctity of Gayā: Raibhya’s Encounter and Hymn to Viṣṇu
Gadādhara
श्रीवराह उवाच । स रैभ्यो मुनिशार्दूलः श्रुत्वा सिद्धं वसुं तदा । आजगाम गयां पुण्यां पितृतीर्थं तपोधनः । तत्र गत्वा पितॄन् भक्त्या पिण्डदानेन तर्पयत् ॥ ७.२ ॥
śrīvarāha uvāca | sa raibhyo muniśārdūlaḥ śrutvā siddhaṃ vasuṃ tadā | ājagāma gayāṃ puṇyāṃ pitṛtīrthaṃ tapodhanaḥ | tatra gatvā pitṝn bhaktyā piṇḍadānena tarpayat || 7.2 ||
พระศรีวราหะตรัสว่า “ครั้งนั้น ไรภยะ ผู้เป็นดุจพยัคฆ์ในหมู่นักพรต ครั้นได้สดับว่าวสุบรรลุความสำเร็จแล้ว จึงมาสู่คยาอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์ ซึ่งเป็นปิตฤตีรถะ. ครั้นไปถึงแล้ว นักบำเพ็ญตบะผู้มั่งคั่งด้วยตบะได้ยังบรรพชนให้พอใจด้วยศรัทธา โดยการถวายปิณฑะ”
Varāha
The verse situates Gayā within Purāṇic sacred geography as a recognized pitṛ-tīrtha, reflecting the codification of pilgrimage networks and ancestral-rite traditions in medieval Sanskrit literature.
Gayā (गया), commonly identified with the historic pilgrimage center in present-day Bihar, India, long associated in Sanskrit sources with rites for ancestors (piṇḍadāna).
The passage foregrounds filial/ancestral responsibility expressed through disciplined, devotional ritual action—honoring predecessors through culturally sanctioned offerings rather than through coercive or exclusivist claims.
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