Vayu Purana · Chapter 50

//sanatkumāra uvāca//
yajñañcakre gayo rājā bahvannaṃ bahudakṣiṇam/
yatra dravyasamūhānāṃ saṃkhyā karttuṃ na śakyate

sthitā gayāyāmannādiparvvatāḥ pañcaviṃśatiḥ/
praśaṃsanti dvijāstatra deśe deśe supūjitāḥ

naiva pūrvvaṃ kepyakurvvanna kariṣyanti cāpare/
sikatā vā yathā loke yathā ca divi tārakāḥ

tathā bahusuvarṇādyairasaṅkhyātāstu dakṣiṇāḥ /
naiveha pūrve ye kecinna kariṣyanti cāpare

praśaṃsanti dvijāstṛptā deśe deśe supūjitāḥ/
gayaṃ viṣṇvādayastuṣṭā varaṃ brūhīti cābruvan

gayastānprārthayāmāsa hyabhiśaptāśca ce purā/
brahmaṇā te dvijāḥ pūtā bhavantu kratupūjitāḥ

gayāśrāddhavidhānāya dvijā mūrttāścadurddaśa/
teṣāṃ vākyaṃ prakurvvīta yadi brahmā svayaṃ bhavet

gautamaṃ kāśyapaṃ kautsaṃ kauśikaṃ kaṇvameva ca/
bhāradvājaṃ hyauśanasaṃ vātsyaṃ pārāśaraṃ tathā

haritkumāramāṇḍavyaṃ lokākṣiṃ lokasaṃmahat/
vāsiṣṭhañca tathātreyaṃ gotrāṇyeṣāṃ caturddaśa

gayāpurīti mannāmnā khyātā brahma purī yathā/
evamastu varaṃ dattvā tathā cāntardadhuḥ surāḥ

gayaśca bhogānsambhujya viṣṇulokaṃ paraṃ yayau/
viśālāyāṃ viśālo'bhūdrājā'putro 'bravīddvijān

kathaṃ putrādayo me syurviśālaṃ cābruvandvijāḥ/
gayāyāṃ piṇḍadānena tava sarvvaṃ bhaviṣyati

viśālo'pi gayāśīrṣa piṇḍadaḥ putravānabhūt/
dṛṣṭvākāśe sitaṃ raktaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ puruṣamabravīt

ke yūyaṃ teṣu caivaikaḥ sitaḥ proce viśālakam/
ahaṃ sitaste janaka indralokādihāgataḥ

mama putra pitā rakto brahmahā pāpakṛttamaḥ /
ayaṃ pitāmahaḥ kṛṣṇa ṛṣayo yena ghātitāḥ

avīcinarakaṃ prāptau muktau tvatpiṇḍadānataḥ/
pitṝnpitāmahāṃścaiva tathaiva prapitāmahān

prīṇayāmīti yattoyaṃ tvayā dattamarindama/
tenāsmadyugapadyogo jāto vākyena sattama

muktiḥ kṛtā tvayā putra vrajāmaḥ svargamuttamam/
evaṃ putraiḥ pitṝṇāṃ ca kartavyā muktiruttamā

tvañca rājyaṃ ciraṃ kṛtvā bhuktvā bhogāṃśca durllabhān/
yajñānsadakṣiṇānkṛtvā yāyādviṣṇupuraṃ tataḥ

evaṃ labdhavaro rājā rājyaṃ kṛtvā divaṃgataḥ/
pretarājaḥ saha pretairgayāśrāddhāddivaṃ gataḥ

pretaḥ kaścidvimuktyarthaṃ vaṇijaṃ kañcidabravīt/
mama nāmnā gayāśīrṣe piṇḍanirvvāpaṇaṃ kuru

pretabhāvavimuktyarthaṃ tvaṃ gṛhāṇa dhanaṃ mama/
tadvanaṃ sarvvamādāya gayāśrāddhavyayaṃ kuru

ṣoḍaśapañcabhāgāṃśca tubhyaṃ vai dattavānaham/
svanāmāni yathānyāyaṃ samyagākhyātavānaham

gatvā gayāṃ gayāśīrṣa pretarājāya piṇḍakam/
samadādbandhubhiḥ sārddhaṃ svapitṛbhyastato dadau

pretaḥ pretatvanirmmukto vaṇik svagṛhamāgataḥ /
evaṃ gayasya śambhośca kṣetraṃ viṣṇo ravestathā

upoṣito'tha gāyatrītīrthe mahānadīsthite/
gāyatryāḥ purataḥ snātvā prātaḥsandhyāmupāsayet

śrāddhaṃ sapiṇḍakaṃ kṛtvānayedbrahmaṇyatāṃ kulam/
tīrthe samudite snātvā sāvitryāḥ purato naraḥ

sandhyāmupāsya madhyāhne nayetkulaśatandivam/
piṇḍadānaṃ tataḥ kuryyātpitṝṇāṃ muktikāmyayā

prācīsarasvatītīrthe snātvā cāpi yathāvidhi/
sandhyāmupāsya sāyāhne viṣṇulokaṃ nayetpitṝn

bahujanmakṛtātsandhyālopānmuktastrisandhya kṛt/
viśālāyāṃ lelihāne tīrthe ca bharatāśrame

pādāṅkite muṇḍapṛṣṭhe gadādharasamīpataḥ/
tīrthe cākāśagaṅgāyāṃ girikarṇamukheṣu ca

snāto'tha piṇḍado brahmalokaṃ kulaśataṃ nayet/
devanadyāṃ vaitaraṇyāṃ snātaḥ svargaṃ nayetpitṝn

snāto godo vaitaraṇyāṃ triḥsaptakulamuddharet/
satyaṃ satyaṃ punaḥ satyaṃ vaitaraṇyāṃ tu nārada

ekaviṃśatikulānyāhustārayennātra saṃśayaḥ/
yā sā vaitaraṇī nāma nadī trailokyaviśrutā

sāvatīrṇā gayākṣetre pitṝṇāṃ taraṇāya vai/
godāvaryyāṃ vaitaraṇyāṃ yamunāyāṃ tathaiva ca

devanadyāṃ gopracāre śrāddhadaḥ svarnayetpitṝn/
puṣkariṇyāṃ ghṛtakulyāṃ madhukulyāṃ tathaiva ca

koṭitīrthe rukmiṇīye piṇḍadaḥ svarnayetpitṝn/
trirātropoṣaṇenaiva tīrthābhigamanena ca

adattvā kāñcanaṅgāśca daridro jāyate naraḥ/
ghṛtakulyā madhukulyā devikā ca mahānadī

śilāyāḥ saṅgamo yatra madhusravā prakīrtitā/
ayutaṃ cāśvamedhānāṃ snānakṛllabhate naraḥ

śrāddhaṃ sapiṇḍakaṃ kṛtvā piṇḍadānaṃ tathaiva ca/
kulānāṃ śatamuddhṛtya viṣṇulokaṃ nayennaraḥ

daśāśca medhike haṃsatīrthe cāmarakaṅkaṭe/
koṭitīrthe rukmakuṇḍe piṇḍadaḥ svarnayetpitṝn

vaitaraṇyāṃ ghṛtakulyāṃ madhukulyāṃ tathaiva ca/
koṭitīrthe naraḥ snātvā dṛṣṭvā koṭīśvarañca yaḥ

koṭijanma bhavedvipro dhanāḍhyo vedapāragaḥ /
mārkaṇḍeyeśakocīśau natvā syātpitṛtārakaḥ

rukma pārijātavane pārvvatyā saha śaṅkaraḥ/
rahasye saṃsthito reme yugānāmayutaṃ purā

marīciḥ phalapuṣpārthaṃ pārijātavanaṃ gataḥ/
dṛṣṭvā śapto maheśena yasmātsukhavighātakaḥ

duḥkhī bhaveti tadbhīto maricistuṣṭuve śivam/
tuṣṭaḥ provāca taṃ śambhurvṛṇīṣva varamuttamam

śāpād bhavatu muktirmme marīciḥ prāha śaṅkaram/
bhavedgayāyāṃ muktiste śivoktaḥ prayayau gayām

śilāsthitastapastepe sarvveṣāṃ duṣkarañca yat/
marīcirīśvarācchaptaḥ kṛṣṇatvamagamatpurā

tapasā dāruṇeneha sa vipraḥ śuklatāṃ gataḥ /
harirūce marīciñca varaṃ vṛṇuhi putraka

kimalabhyaṃ tvayi tuṣṭe marīciḥ prāha mādhavam/
haraśāpādvimukto'haṃ śilā bhavatu pāvanī

pitṛmuktikarī ca syāttathetyuktvā divaṃ gataḥ/
divaukasāṃ puṣkariṇīṃ samāsādya naraḥ śuciḥ

yatra dattaṃ pitṛbhyastu bhavatyakṣayamityuta/
tatra snāto divaṃ yāti svaśarīreṇa mānavaḥ

pāpmānaṃ prajahātyeṣa jīrṇatvacamivoragaḥ/
tatpaṅgajavanaṃ puṇyaṃ puṇyakṛdbhirniṣevitam

pāṇḍuśilā vai tatrāste śrāddhaṃ yatrākṣayaṃ bhavet/
yudhiṣṭhirastu tasyāṃ hi śrāddhaṃ karttuṃ yayau mune

tatra kāle pāṇḍunoktaṃ maddhaste dehi piṇḍakam/
hastaṃ tyaktvā śilāyāñca piṇḍadānañcakāra saḥ

śilāyāṃ piṇḍadānena prahṛṣṭo vyāsanandanaḥ/
varaṃ dadau svaputrāya rājyaṃ kuru mahītale

akaṇṭakantu sampūrṇaṃ tvaṃ me trātā hi putraka/
svargaṃ vraja śarīreṇa bhrātṛbhiḥ parivāritaḥ

dṛṣṭimātreṇa sampūtānnarakasthāndivaṃ naya/
ityuktvā prayayau pāṇḍuḥ śāśvataṃ padamavyayam

udbhijjāḥ svedajā vāpi hyaṇḍajā ye jarāyujāḥ/
madhusravāṃ samāsādya mṛtāḥ svargapuraṃ yayuḥ

daśāśvamedhike haṃsatīrthe śrāddhāddivaṃ vrajet/
daśāśvamedhahaṃsau ca natvā śivapuraṃ vrajet

bharatasyāśrame śrāddhānnayedbrahmālayaṃ pitṝn/
mataṅgasya pade śrāddhī brahmalokaṃ nayetpitṝn

nirmmathyāgniṃ śamīgarbhe vidhirviṣṇvādibhiḥ saha/
lebhe tīrthantu yajñārthaṃ triṣu lokeṣu viśrutam

makhasaṃjñantu tattīrthaṃ pitṝṇāṃ mukti dāyakam/
snātvā ca tarpaṇaṃ kṛtvā piṇḍado muktimāpnuyāt

pitṝnsvargaṃ nayennatvā saṅgame'ṅgārakeśvarau/
gayākūṭe piṇḍadānādaśvamedhaphalaṃ labhet

bhasmakūṭe bhasmanāthaṃ natvā ca tārayetpitṝn /
tyaktapāpo bhavenmuktaḥ saṅgame snānamācaret

iṣṭiṃ cakre'śvamedhākhyaṃ vasiṣṭho munisattamaḥ/
iṣṭito nirgataḥ śambhurvaraṃ vṛṇu vasiṣṭhakam

prāheti taṃ vasiṣṭho'pi śiva tuṣṭho'si me yadi/
vastavyaṃ cātra deveśa tathetyuktvā śivaḥ sthitaḥ

piṇḍado dhenukāraṇye kāmadhenupadeṣu ca/
snātvā natvātha sampūjya brahmalokaṃ nayetpitṝn

karddamāle gayānābhau muṇḍapṛṣṭhasamīpataḥ/
snātvā śrāddhādikaṃ kṛtvā pitṝṇāmanṛṇo bhavet

phalgucaṇḍīśmaśānākṣīmaṅgalādyāḥ samarccayet/
gayāyāñca vṛṣotsargātriḥ saptakulamuddharet

yatra tatra sthitā devā ṛṣayo'pi jitendriyāḥ /
ādyaṃ gadādharaṃ dhyāyañchrāddhapiṇḍādidānataḥ

kulānāṃ śatamuddhṛtya brahmalokaṃ nayet pitṝn/
gayā gayo gayā dityo gāyatrī ca gadādharaḥ

gayā gayāsuraścaiva ṣaṅgayā muktidāyakāḥ/
gayākhyānamidaṃ puṇyaṃ yaḥ paṭhetsatataṃ naraḥ

śrṛṇuyācchraddhayā yastu sa yāti paramāṃ gatim/
pāṭhayedvā gayākhyānaṃ viprebhyaḥ puṇyakṛnnaraḥ

gayāśrāddhaṃ kṛtaṃ tena kṛtaṃ tena suniścitam/
gayāyā mahimānañca hyabhyasedyaḥ samāhitaḥ

teneṣṭaṃ rājasūyena aśvamedhena nārada/
likhedvā lekhayedvāpi pūjayedvāpi pustakam

tasya gehe sthirā lakṣmīḥ suprasannā bhaviṣyati/
upākhyānamidaṃ puṇyaṃ gṛhe tiṣṭhati pustakam

sarpāgnicaurajanitaṃ bhayaṃ tatra na vidyate/
śrāddhakāle paṭhedyastu gayāmāhātmyamuttamam

vidhihīnantu tatsarvaṃ pitṝṇāntu gayāsamam/
yāni tīrthāni trailokye tāni dṛṣṭāni tatra vai/
yena jñātaṃ gayākhyānaṃ śrutaṃ vā paṭhitaṃ mune

//sūta uvāca//
sanatkumāro munipuṅgavāya puṇyāṃ kathāñcātha nivedya bhaktyā/
svamāśramaṃ puṇyavanairupetaṃ visṛjya saṃgītaguruṃ jagāma

iti śrīmahāpurāṇe vāyuprokte gayāmahātmyaṃ nāma pañcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ