Shloka 3
The Procedure for Offering Piṇḍa (Funerary Rice-balls) — Gayā-māhātmya
अंगुष्ठस्थित ईशोऽपि प्रभासेशः प्रकीर्तितः । शिलांगुष्ठैकदेशो यः सा च प्रेतशिला स्थिता ॥ ३ ॥
aṃguṣṭhasthita īśo'pi prabhāseśaḥ prakīrtitaḥ | śilāṃguṣṭhaikadeśo yaḥ sā ca pretaśilā sthitā || 3 ||
Đức Chúa ngự tại dấu của ngón cái được tán dương là Prabhāseśa. Và phiến đá mang một phần giống ngón cái ấy được an lập tại đó với danh xưng Pretaśilā.
Suta (narrating Narada’s account to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It marks Prabhāsa as a living sacred geography: the Lord is worshipped in a specific, recognizable form (Prabhāseśa), and a distinct stone-sign (Pretaśilā) anchors rites connected with purification and ancestral/‘preta’ concerns within the tīrtha.
Bhakti here is expressed through tīrtha-centered worship—recognizing the Lord’s presence in a consecrated place and approaching Him with reverence through a named form (Prabhāseśa) and its traditional markers.
It reflects ritual-practical tradition (kalpa/ācāra in application): identifying a sacred object by its lakṣaṇa (mark) and associating it with specific rites such as purification and śrāddha-related observances at a tīrtha.