Vayu Purana · Chapter 43

//vāyuruvāca//
ata ūrddhvaṃ pravakṣyāmi gayāmāhātmyamuttamam/
yacchrutvā sarvvapāpebhyo mucyate nātrasaṃśayaḥ

//sūta uvāca//
sanakādyairmmahābhāgairdevarṣiḥ sa ca nāradaḥ/
sanatkumāraṃ papraccha praṇamya vidhipūrvvakam

nārada uvāca//
sanatkumāra me brūhi tīrthaṃ tīrthottamottamam/
tārakaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ paṭhatāṃ śrṛṇvatāṃ tathā

sanatkumāra uvāca//
vakṣye tīrthavaraṃ puṇyaṃ śrāddhādau sarvatārakam/
gayātīrthaṃ sarvadeśe tīrthebhyo'pyadhikaṃ śrṛṇu

gayāsurastapastepe brahmaṇā kratave'rthitaḥ/
prāptasya tasya śirasi śilāṃ dharmo hyadhārayat

tatra brahmā'karodyāgaṃ sthitaścāpi gadādharaḥ/
phalgutīrthādirūpeṇa niścalārthamaharniśam/
gayāsurasya viprendrabrahmādyairdaivataiḥ saha

kṛtayajño dadau brahmā brāhmaṇebhyo gṛhādikam/
svetakalpe tu vārāhe gayāyāgamakārayat

gayānāmnā gayā khyātā kṣetraṃ brahnamabhikāṃkṣitam/
kāṃkṣanti pitaraḥ putrānnarakādbhayabhīravaḥ

gayāṃ yāsyati yaḥ putraḥ sa nastrātā bhaviṣyati/
gayāprāptaṃ sutaṃ dṛṣṭvā pitṝṇāmutsavo bhavet/
padbhyāmapi jalaṃ spṛṣṭvā so'smabhyaṃ kiṃ na dāsyati

gayāṃ gatvānnadātā yaḥ pitarastena putriṇaḥ /
pakṣatrayanivāsī ca punātyāsaptamaṃ kulam/
no cetpañcadaśāhaṃ vā saptarātriṃ trirātrikam

mahākalpakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ gayāṃ prāpya vinaśyati/
piṇḍaṃ dadyācca pitrāderātmano'pi tilairvinā

brahmahatyā surāpānaṃ steyaṃ gurvvaṅganāgamaḥ/
pāpaṃtatsaṅgajaṃ sarvvaṃ gayāśrāddhādvinaśyati

ātmajo'pyanyajo vāpi gayābhūmau yadā tadā/
yannāmnā pātayetpiṇḍaṃ taṃ nayedbrahma śāśvatam

brahmajñānaṃ gayāśrāddhaṃ gogṛhe maraṇaṃ tathā/
vāsaḥ puṃsāṃ kurukṣetre muktireṣā caturvvidhā

brahmajñānena kiṃ kāryyaṃ gogṛhe maraṇena kim/
vāsena kiṃ kurukṣetre yadi putro gayāṃ vrajet

gayāyāṃ sarvvakāleṣu piṇḍaṃ dadyādvicakṣaṇaḥ/
adhimāse janmadine cāste'pi guruśukrayoḥ

na tyaktavyaṃ gayāśrāddhaṃ siṃhasthe'pi bṛhaspatau/
tathā daivapramādena prahateṣu vraṇeṣu ca/
punaḥ karmmādhikārī ca śrāddhakṛdbrahmalokabhāk

sakṛdgayābhigamanaṃ sakṛtpiṇḍasya pātanam/
durlabhaṃ kiṃ punarnnityamasminneva vyavasthitiḥ

pramādānmriyate kṣetre brahmādermuktidāyake/
brahmajñānādyathā muktirlabhyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

kīṭakādimṛtānāñca pitṝṇāṃ tāraṇāya ca/
tasmātsarvvaprayatnena karttavyaṃ suvicakṣaṇaiḥ

brahmaprakalpitānviprānhavyakavyādinā'rccayet/
taistuṣṭaistoṣitāḥ sarvvāḥ pitṛbhiḥ saha devatāḥ

muṇḍanaṃ copavāsaśca sarvvatīrtheṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ/
varjayitvā kurukṣetraṃ viśālāṃ virajāṃ gayām

daṇḍaṃpradarśayedbhikṣurgayāṃ gatvā na piṇḍadaḥ/
daṇḍaṃ nyastā viṣṇupade pitṛbhiḥ saha mucyate

na daṇḍī kilbiṣaṃ dhatte puṇyaṃ vā paramārthataḥ/
ataḥ sarvvāṃ kriyāṃ tyaktvā viṣṇuṃ dhyāyati bhāvukaḥ

saṃnyasetsarvvakarmmāṇi vedamekaṃ na saṃnyaset/
muṇḍaṃ kuryyācca pūrvve'sminpaścime dakṣiṇottare

sārddhaṃ krośadvayaṃ mānaṃ gayeti brahmaṇeritam/
pañcakrośaṃ gayākṣetraṃ krośamekaṃ gayāśiraḥ

tanmadhye sarvvatīrthāni trailokye yāni santi vai/
śrāddhakṛdyo gayākṣetre pitṝṇāmanṛṇo hi saḥ

śirasi śrāddhakṛdyastu kulānāṃ śatamuddharet/
gṛhāccalitamātreṇa gayāyāṃ gamanaṃ prati/
svargā rohaṇasopānaṃ pitṝṇāñca pade pade

pade pade'śvamedhasya yatphalaṃ gacchato gayām/
tatphalañca bhavennūnaṃ samagraṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ

pāyasenāpi caruṇā saktunā piṣṭakena vā/
taṇḍulaiḥ phalamūlādyairgayāyāṃ piṇḍapātanam

tilakalkena khaṇḍena guḍena saghṛtena vā/
kevalenaiva dadhnā vā ūrjena madhunā'tha vā

piṇyākaṃ saghṛtaṃ khaṇḍaṃ pitṛbhyo'kṣayamityuta/
ijyate vārttavaṃ bhojyaṃ haviṣyānnaṃ munīritam

ekataḥ sarvvavastūni rasavanti madhūni hi/
smṛtvā gadādharāṅaghryabjaṃ phalgutīrthāmbu caikataḥ

piṇḍāsanaṃ piṇḍadānaṃ punaḥ pratyavanejanam/
dakṣiṇā cānna saṅkalpastīrthaśrāddheṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ

nāvāhanaṃ na digbandho na doṣo dṛṣṭisambhavaḥ/
sakāruṇyena karttavyaṃ tīrthaśrāddhaṃ vicakṣaṇaiḥ

anyatrāvāhitāḥ kāle pitaro yāntyamuṃ prati/
tīrthe sadā vasantyete tasmādāvāhanaṃ na hi

tīrthaśrāddhaṃ prayacchadbhiḥ puruṣaiḥ phalakāṅkṣibhiḥ/
kāmaṃ krodhaṃ tathā lobhaṃ tyaktvā kāryyā kriyā'niśam

brahmacāryyakabhojī ca bhūśāyī satyavākchuciḥ/
sarvvabhūtahite raktaḥ sa tīrthaphalamaśnute

tīrthānyanusarandhīraḥ pāṣaṇḍaṃ pūrvvatastyajet/
pāṣaṇḍhaḥ sa ca vijñeyo yo bhavetkāmakārataḥ

tīrtheṣu ye narā dhīrāḥ karmma kurvvanti tadghatāḥ/
yathā brahmavido vedyaṃ vastu cānanyacetasaḥ/
praviśanti pareśākhyaṃ brahma brahmaparāyaṇāḥ

yāste vaitaraṇī nāma nadī trailokyaviśrutā/
sā'vatīrṇā gayākṣetre pitṝṇāṃ tāraṇāya vai/
snāto godo vaitaraṇyāṃ triḥsaptakulamuddharet

tathā'kṣayavaṭaṃ gatvā viprānsantoṣayiṣyati/
brahmaprakalpitānviprānhavyakavyādinā'rccayet/
taistuṣṭaistoṣitāḥ sarvvāḥ pitṛbhiḥ saha devatāḥ

gayāyāṃ na hi tatsthānaṃ yatra tīrthaṃ na vidyate/
sānnidhyaṃ sarvvatīrthānāṃ gayātīrthaṃ tato varam

mīne meṣe sthite sūryye kanyāyāṃ kārmuke ghaṭe/
durllabhaṃ triṣu lokeṣu gayāyāṃ piṇḍapātanam

makare varttamāne ca grahaṇe candrasūryyayoḥ /
durllabhaṃ triṣu lokeṣu gayāśrāddhaṃ sudurllabham

gayāyāṃ piṇḍadānena yatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ/
na tacchakyaṃ mayā vaktuṃ kalpakoṭiśatairapi

iti śrīmahāpurāṇe vāyuprokte gayāmāhātmyaṃ nāma tricatvāriṃśo'dyāyaḥ