Vayu Purana

ब्रह्मप्रकल्पितान्विप्रान्हव्यकव्यादिनाऽर्च्चयेत्। तैस्तुष्टैस्तोषिताः सर्व्वाः पितृभिः सह देवताः ।। ४३.

One should worship Brahmins appointed by Brahma with offerings such as havya and kavya; when they are satisfied, all deities together with ancestors are pleased.

मुण्डनं चोपवासश्च सर्व्वतीर्थेष्वयं विधिः। वर्जयित्वा कुरुक्षेत्रं विशालां विरजां गयाम् ।। ४३.

Shaving the head and fasting are prescribed at all sacred places, except Kurukshetra, Vishala, Viraja, and Gaya.

दण्डंप्रदर्शयेद्भिक्षुर्गयां गत्वा न पिण्डदः। दण्डं न्यस्ता विष्णुपदे पितृभिः सह मुच्यते ।। ४३.

A mendicant who goes to Gaya but does not offer the rice-ball should display his staff; when the staff is placed at Vishnu's feet, he is freed together with his ancestors.

न दण्डी किल्बिषं धत्ते पुण्यं वा परमार्थतः। अतः सर्व्वां क्रियां त्यक्त्वा विष्णुं ध्यायति भावुकः ।। ४३.

The staff-bearer does not incur sin nor truly gain merit; therefore, abandoning all ritual acts, the contemplative meditates on Vishnu.

संन्यसेत्सर्व्वकर्म्माणि वेदमेकं न संन्यसेत्। मुण्डं कुर्य्याच्च पूर्व्वेऽस्मिन्पश्चिमे दक्षिणोत्तरे ।। ४३.

One should renounce all actions, but never renounce the Veda; and one should shave the head in the east, west, south, or north.

सार्द्धं क्रोशद्वयं मानं गयेति ब्रह्मणेरितम्। पञ्चक्रोशं गयाक्षेत्रं क्रोशमेकं गयाशिरः ।। ४३.

The measure of Gaya, as declared by Brahma, is two and a half krośas; the Gaya field is five krośas, and Gaya's peak is one krośa.

तन्मध्ये सर्व्वतीर्थानि त्रैलोक्ये यानि सन्ति वै। श्राद्धकृद्यो गयाक्षेत्रे पितॄणामनृणो हि सः ।। ४३.

Within it are all the sacred places that exist in the three worlds; whoever performs śrāddha in the Gaya field is indeed freed from debt to the ancestors.

शिरसि श्राद्धकृद्यस्तु कुलानां शतमुद्धरेत्। गृहाच्चलितमात्रेण गयायां गमनं प्रति। स्वर्गा रोहणसोपानं पितॄणाञ्च पदे पदे ।। ४३.

He who performs the śrāddha with his head covered rescues a hundred generations of his lineage; and merely by setting out from his house with the intention to go to Gayā, he provides a stairway to heaven for his ancestors at every step.

पदे पदेऽश्वमेधस्य यत्फलं गच्छतो गयाम्। तत्फलञ्च भवेन्नूनं समग्रं नात्र संशयः ।। ४३.

At every step taken towards Gayā, one attains the full merit of performing an Aśvamedha sacrifice—this is certain, there is no doubt.

पायसेनापि चरुणा सक्तुना पिष्टकेन वा। तण्डुलैः फलमूलाद्यैर्गयायां पिण्डपातनम् ।। ४३.

Offering piṇḍa at Gayā, whether with rice cooked in milk, with a sacrificial cake, with barley meal, with flour cakes, with rice, or with fruits and roots, yields great merit.

तिलकल्केन खण्डेन गुडेन सघृतेन वा। केवलेनैव दध्ना वा ऊर्जेन मधुनाऽथ वा ।। ४३.

Whether with sesame paste, with sugar, with jaggery mixed with ghee, with curd alone, with clarified butter, or with honey, the offering is efficacious.

पिण्याकं सघृतं खण्डं पितृभ्योऽक्षयमित्युत। इज्यते वार्त्तवं भोज्यं हविष्यान्नं मुनीरितम् ।। ४३.

Offering to the ancestors cakes made of oil-cake with ghee, sugar, or any food suitable for offerings, or cooked rice as prescribed by the sages, is inexhaustible in merit.

एकतः सर्व्ववस्तूनि रसवन्ति मधूनि हि। स्मृत्वा गदाधराङघ्र्यब्जं फल्गुतीर्थाम्बु चैकतः ।। ४३.

On one side are all delicious substances and sweet things; on the other, remembering the lotus feet of Gadādhara and the water of the Phalgu tīrtha—these are incomparable.

पिण्डासनं पिण्डदानं पुनः प्रत्यवनेजनम्। दक्षिणा चान्न सङ्कल्पस्तीर्थश्राद्धेष्वयं विधिः ।। ४३.

The procedure for śrāddha at a tīrtha is: the seat for the piṇḍa, the offering of the piṇḍa, the subsequent purification, the gift to the priest, the food, and the resolve.

नावाहनं न दिग्बन्धो न दोषो दृष्टिसम्भवः। सकारुण्येन कर्त्तव्यं तीर्थश्राद्धं विचक्षणैः ।। ४३.

There is no need for invocation, no ritual enclosure of directions, and no fault arises from being seen; the wise should perform tīrtha śrāddha with compassion.

अन्यत्रावाहिताः काले पितरो यान्त्यमुं प्रति। तीर्थे सदा वसन्त्येते तस्मादावाहनं न हि ।। ४३.

Elsewhere, the ancestors must be invoked at the proper time, but at a tīrtha, they are always present; therefore, invocation is not required there.

तीर्थश्राद्धं प्रयच्छद्भिः पुरुषैः फलकाङ्क्षिभिः। कामं क्रोधं तथा लोभं त्यक्त्वा कार्य्या क्रियाऽनिशम् ।। ४३.

Those who wish for the fruit of tīrtha śrāddha should always perform the rite, giving up desire, anger, and greed.

ब्रह्मचार्य्यकभोजी च भूशायी सत्यवाक्छुचिः। सर्व्वभूतहिते रक्तः स तीर्थफलमश्नुते ।। ४३.

He who is celibate, eats only once, sleeps on the ground, speaks truth, is pure, and devoted to the welfare of all beings, attains the fruit of tīrtha.

तीर्थान्यनुसरन्धीरः पाषण्डं पूर्व्वतस्त्यजेत्। पाषण्ढः स च विज्ञेयो यो भवेत्कामकारतः ।। ४३.

The wise, when following the tīrthas, should first abandon heresy; and know that one who acts according to his own desires is a heretic.

तीर्थेषु ये नरा धीराः कर्म्म कुर्व्वन्ति तद्घताः। यथा ब्रह्मविदो वेद्यं वस्तु चानन्यचेतसः। प्रविशन्ति परेशाख्यं ब्रह्म ब्रह्मपरायणाः ।। ४३.

Those steadfast men who perform rites at tīrthas, with undistracted minds, as knowers of Brahman know the Supreme, enter the Brahman called the Supreme Lord.

यास्ते वैतरणी नाम नदी त्रैलोक्यविश्रुता। साऽवतीर्णा गयाक्षेत्रे पितॄणां तारणाय वै। स्नातो गोदो वैतरण्यां त्रिःसप्तकुलमुद्धरेत् ।। ४३.

That river named Vaitaraṇī, renowned throughout the three worlds, descended in the field of Gayā for the deliverance of the ancestors; one who bathes and gives a cow in the Vaitaraṇī rescues twenty-one generations.

तथाऽक्षयवटं गत्वा विप्रान्सन्तोषयिष्यति। ब्रह्मप्रकल्पितान्विप्रान्हव्यकव्यादिनाऽर्च्चयेत्। तैस्तुष्टैस्तोषिताः सर्व्वाः पितृभिः सह देवताः ।। ४३.

Similarly, going to the imperishable banyan tree and satisfying the Brāhmaṇas, worshipping them with offerings ordained by Brahmā, when they are pleased, all the gods together with the ancestors are satisfied.

गयायां न हि तत्स्थानं यत्र तीर्थं न विद्यते। सान्निध्यं सर्व्वतीर्थानां गयातीर्थं ततो वरम् ।। ४३.

In Gayā, there is no place where a tīrtha is not found; because of the presence of all tīrthas, the tīrtha of Gayā is supreme.

मीने मेषे स्थिते सूर्य्ये कन्यायां कार्मुके घटे। दुर्ल्लभं त्रिषु लोकेषु गयायां पिण्डपातनम् ।। ४३.

When the sun is in Pisces, Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius, or Aquarius, offering piṇḍa at Gayā is rare in the three worlds.

मकरे वर्त्तमाने च ग्रहणे चन्द्रसूर्य्ययोः । दुर्ल्लभं त्रिषु लोकेषु गयाश्राद्धं सुदुर्ल्लभम् ।। ४३.

When the sun is in Capricorn, or during an eclipse of the sun or moon, performing śrāddha at Gayā is extremely rare in the three worlds.

गयायां पिण्डदानेन यत्फलं लभते नरः। न तच्छक्यं मया वक्तुं कल्पकोटिशतैरपि ।। ४३.

The merit that a man obtains by offering oblations at Gaya cannot be described by me, not even in hundreds of millions of aeons.

नारद उवाच।। गयासुरः कथं जातः किंप्रभावः किमात्मकः । तपस्तप्तं कथं तेन कथं देहपवित्रता ।। ४४.

Narada said: How did Gayasura come to be? What is his power, what is his nature? How did he perform austerities, and how was his body purified?

सनत्कुमार उवाच।। विष्णोर्नाभ्यम्बुजाज्जातो ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः। प्रजाः ससर्ज संप्रोक्तः पूर्व्वं देवेन विष्णुना ।। ४४.

Sanatkumara said: From the lotus of Vishnu's navel was born Brahma, the grandsire of the worlds. He created beings, as previously declared by the god Vishnu.

आसुरेणैव भावेन ह्यसुरानसृजत्पुरा। सौमनस्येन भावेन देवान्सुमनसोऽसृजत् ।। ४४.

With an asuric disposition, he formerly created the asuras; with a disposition of goodwill, he created the gods, those of good mind.