History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.217

v5.c74.t2.217

In the Gayāmāhātmya (Vāyupurāṇa, chapters 105-112) there are about 560 verses. An attempt will be made here to give a brief summary of it and some of the important verses will be quoted. Chapter 105 is general and briefly indicates some of the main topics dealt with in the following chapters. It states that in Śvetavārāhakalpa Gaya performed a sacrifice and Gayā was named after him¹⁴⁸¹, that *pitṛs* hanker after sons because the son that goes to Gayā saves the *pitṛs* from hell¹⁴⁸². At Gayā a man should offer *piṇḍas* to his father and others and even to himself but without sesame; all the five mortal sins like brāhmaṇa-murder are removed by the performance of śrāddha at Gayā. A piṇḍa offered after uttering the name and gotra of the recipient by the son or any other person in Gayā leads that person to the imperishable *brahma*¹⁴⁸³. Mokṣa is fourfold (i. e. results in four ways) viz. by knowledge of *brahma*, śrāddha at Gayā, death in (a fight for preventing) the seizure of cows and residence in Kurukṣetra and śrāddha at Gayā renders the others unnecessary¹⁴⁸⁴. Śrāddha may be performed at Gayā at all times, even in an intercalary month, on the anniversary of one's birthday, or even when Jupiter and Venus are invisible or when Jupiter is in Leo. One should honour the brāhmaṇas (of Gayā) that were established there by Brahmā; when they are gratified all deities together with the pitṛs are gratified. Tonsure¹⁴⁸⁵ and fast are to be observed at all tīrthas except in Kurukṣetra, Viśālā, Virajā and Gayā. An ascetic¹⁴⁸⁶ (sannyāsin) should not offer piṇḍas (at Gayā) but should merely exhibit (hold up) his staff and should put it down on Viṣṇupada The (whole) Gayākṣetra is five *krośas* in extent and Gayāśiras is one krośa and all the tīrthas of the three worlds are centered in these two¹⁴⁸⁷. At Gayā one may offer (to pitṛs) piṇḍas by means of *pāyasa* (rice cooked in milk), boiled rice, barley flour, fruits and roots, the cake of sesame (after oil is extracted), sweetmeats or jaggery with ghee or with curds alone or with invigorating honey. In a śrāddha at Gayā, the procedure consists in preparing¹⁴⁸⁸ a seat for the piṇḍas, the offering of piṇḍas, the sprinkling of water again (on the kuśa grass), giving fees and declaration of dinner (to brāhmaṇas); but there is no invocation of pitṛs, no curtains for privacy and no blemish due to śrāddha being seen (by undesirable persons or animals) Those who desire to reap the full fruit of śrāddha performed at a tīrtha (like Gayā) must give up passionate longings, anger and avarice, observe celibacy, eat only one meal a day, should sleep on the ground (and not on a cot), should speak the truth, should be pure and intent on the good of all beings. The famous river Vaitaraṇī has come down to Gayā; one taking a bath in it and donating a cow saves 21 generations in his family. One should go to the Akṣayavaṭa and gratify the (Gayā) brāhmaṇas. There is no spot in Gayā which is not a sacred place.¹⁴⁸⁹