History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.211

v5.c74.t2.211

Having disposed of the question of the date of the Gayā-māhātmya and the references to the sacred spots in Gayā in Vanaparva chap. 84, it is necessary to see how Gayā is spoken of in the other parts of the Mahābhārata and the smṛtis. In the Vanaparva itself references to Gayā occur in chap. 87 and chap. 95. Vanaparva, chap. 87, starts by saying that going towards the east (from Kāmyaka-vana where the Pāṇḍavas dwelt for some time) the pilgrim would come to the Naimiṣa forest and the Gomatī river. Thus it is said that in the east there is a holy hill called after Gaya and a holy pool called Brahmasaras; then comes a famous verse¹⁴⁷⁷ 'one should desire to have many sons if even one (of whom) goes to Gayā, or performs the Aśvamedha sacrifice or lets loose a *nīla* bull' (the pitṛs may be gratified). Then Vanaparva chap. 87 goes on to refer to the holy river (mahānadī) Phalgu, the hill Gayāśiras, the Akṣayya Vaṭa, where food offered to pitṛs becomes inexhaustible. In Vanaparva 95 mention is made of Brahmasaras (where Agastya went to Dharmarāja i. e. Yama, verse 12), of Akṣayavaṭa (v. 14) which is an imperishable place of worship and where the fruit (of offerings made) is inexhaustible; it further states that king Gaya, son of Amūrtarayas,1477a performed a sacrifice in which food and fees in plenty were distributed (verses 18-19). Vas. (XI. 42) states: when a man goes to Gayā and offers food his ancestors become delighted like agriculturists that rejoice when there is good rain and pitṛs become (really) *putrin* (having a son) on account of such a son The Viṣṇudharmasūtra, chapter 85,¹⁴⁷⁸ mentions by name about 55 holy places that are most proper for śrāddha among which those connected with Gayā are Gayāśīrṣa, Akṣayavaṭa, Phalgu, Uttaramānasa, Mataṅgavāpī, Viṣṇupada, and winds up by quoting three verses as *gāthās* sung by pitṛs.-Yāj. I. 261 states that whatever a man gives while in Gayā leads to inexhaustible rewards. Atri-smṛti (55-58) refers to a son's going to Gayā for the benefit of the pitṛs, to a bath in Phalgu and *tarpaṇa* of pitṛs in the river, to seeing Gadādhara (Viṣṇu) at Gayā and to Gayāśīrṣā. Śaṅkha (14 27-28) refers¹⁴⁷⁹ to several tīrthas (one being Gayā) the offerings made at which become inexhaustible. The Likhita-Smṛti speaks¹⁴⁸⁰ of the importance of Gayā as follows: In whosesoever name a piṇḍa is offered at Gayāśiras, whether for oneslf or for another, that person, if in hell, goes to heaven and if in heaven that man secures release (from *saṁsāra*). The Kūrmapurāṇa remarks that one should desire to have many sons so that if one out of them goes to Gayā on some other business and offers śrāddha, he thereby saves his pitṛs and himself reaches the highest goal. The Matsyapurāṇa (22. 4-6) quoted by the Kalpataru (on tīrtha p. 163) speaks of Gayā as pitṛtīrtha and as the best among tīrthas where Brahmā himself dwells and also has the verse 'eṣṭavyā bahavaḥ putrāḥ'.