116 - Mode of making a pilgrimage to Gaya

The Agni said: 

1. Oneshould do sandhyā (twilight worship) after bathing in (the river) Mahanadi with (the recitation of) gāyatri (mantra). The ancestral rite and offer of balls (of rice) in the morning preceded by (the recitation of) gayatri (mantra) yields undiminishing (fruits). 

2. Having bathed in the noon (as the sun remains up) and having worshipped with songs and (playing of) musical instruments, the (evening) twilight worship is done there itself in front of the sun and the offer of balls (of rice) is made. 

3. (Similarly) oneshould (offer) at the place of Agastya. One, who has come out after having entered the yonidvära (the fissure in the hill), does not enter the yoni (the womb) again and will be liberated from the cycles of birth and death. 

4. (He)should then pay obeisance to Bali (a demon king) at Kåkaśila and (lord) Kumara (Subrahmanya). Then oneshould offer balls (of rice) at Svargadvāra, Somakunda and Väyutirtha. 

5. Then (he)should offer balls (of rice) at Akåśagangå and Kapilā. After having paid obeisance to Śiva, the lord of Kapilä, oneshould offer bails (of rice) at Rukmikunda. 

6. After having worshipped (lord) Kotisa at Koțitirtha, one (should offer balls of rice) at Amoghapada. Then the balls (of rice)should be offered at Gadalola, Vånaraka and Gopracara. 

7. After the worship of the cow, one who does the ancestral rite and offers balls (of rice) at (the river) Vaitariņi, elevates twentyone generations. Then oneshould offer balls (of rice) at Krauñchapada. 

8-11. (The pilgrim)should then offer balls (of rice) at Viśālā and Niśchira on the third day. One who bathes in the Rņamoksha and Papamokṣha and with the sacred ash at the Bhasmakunda gets free from sin. Oneshould then worship lord Janardana (uttering as follows): "I have placed this ball (of rice) on your hand. O Janardana! When I die let this remain without decay." (Lord) Janardana himself (remains) at Gay, in the form of forefathers. Having worshipped that lotus-eyed lord one gets liberated from three debts. After having worshipped (lord) Markaņdeyeśvara, oneshould worship (lord) Grudhreśvara. 

12. Then the balls (of rice)should be offered to (lord) Mahesa at the Mülakshetra at Dhara. Balls (of rice)should be offered at Grudhrakūta, Grudhravata and Dhautapäda. 

13. (The pilgrim)should then offer balls (of rice) at the Pushkariņi, Kardamåla and Ramatirtha. Oneshould make obeisance to (lord) Prabhåseśa and offer pinda (balls of rice) at Pretasila. 

14. (The following wordsshould be recited on these occasions): "May all (my) fore-fathers and relatives who are still in the form of pretas (the dead people still in the state of a spirit) in the heavens, sky or earth get released from that state by my offer of pindas." 

15. One who offers piņda at the following three placesPretasilā, the sacred Gayāśiras and Pretakuņda at Prabhåsa, liberates his family. 

16. (The pilgrim)should pay obeisance to (lord) Vasishtheśa and offer pinda in front of that (deity). Heshould then offer pinda at Gayånäbhi, Sushumņā and Mahakoti. 

17. (Pindashould be offered) in front of (lord Gadādhara), at Mundaprustha and in the presence of the goddess. The Mundaprustha together with the guardian deitiesshould be worshipped first. 

18. By doing such worship, one will not have fear and the effects of disease and poison will be destroyed. One who worships (lord) Brahmä сonveys his family to the region of Brahmå. 

19. One who worships Subhadrå (sister of lord Krishņa), Balabhadra (brother of lord Krishņa) and Purushottama (here refers to lord Krishņa), gets all his desires fulfilled, elevates his family and attains heaven. 

20. Oneshould pay obeisance to (lord) Hrushikeśa and offer piņda in front of that (deity). Having worshipped (lord) Madhava, one becomes honoured by the celestials. 

21. One who worships (the goddesses) Mahålakshmi, Gauri, Mangala and Sarasvati elevates his fore-fathers and enjoys all pleasures in heaven and becomes a learned man (in his next birth). 

22-24. One who worships the twelve Adityas (suns), Fire god, Revanta and Indra, gets free from diseases etc. and attains heaven. One who worships Kapardi, Vinayaka and (lord) Kärttikeya (Subrahmanya nourished the six Kruttikas) gets his desire accomplished without any impediment. One would get everything by worshipping the eight mysterious lingas-Soma-nátha, Käleśa, Kedara, Prapitámaha, Siddheśvara, Rudresa, Ramesa and Brahmakeśvara. 

25. By worshipping (lords) Nārāyaṇa, Varåha and Närasimha one would get prosperity. By worshipping (lords) Brahma, Vishņu, Mahesa and Tripuraghna (destroyer of Tripura) one would get all things. 

26. He who worships Sita, Råma, Garuda and Vamana gets all the desired things and conveys his forefathers to the region of Brahma. 

27. By worshipping lord Adigadadhara in the company of celestials, one gets free from three debts¹ and redeems the entire family. 

1. They are due to the sages, gods and manes. 

28. The stone slab is of the form of celestials and it is hence meritorious. There is no place in Gaya where there is no sacred spot. 

29-32. That person in whose name a pinda is offered, is conveyed to the region of) Brahmå eternally. After having paid obeisance to Phalgvisa, Phalguchaņdi and Angårakeśvara, oneshould perform the ancestral rite at the place of Matanga and 

Bharatáśrama. So also oneshould offer food at Haṁsatirtha, Koțitirtha and Panduśila. There, at the Agnidhārā, and at Madhusravas, pindashould be offered. Oneshould offer pinda at the forest of Dhenuka and worship the cow at Dhenupada. One who offers piņda in the Sarasvati (river) redeems all the fore-fathers. 

33. After having worshipped the evening twilight, oneshould pay obeisance to (goddess) Sarasvati. The brahmins proficient in the Vedas and Vedängasshould do the three twilight worships. 

34. After having done circumambulation of Gaya and having worshipped the brahmins at Gayà, offer of food or anything else becomes undecaying. 

35-42. The lord Adigadadharashould be glorified and prayed to as follows: “I pray to the conferer of yoga, (lord) Gadādhara, the resident of Gaya, who redeems the fore-fathers for the sake of dharma (righteousness), artha (prosperity) käma (pleasure) and moksha (redemption). I salute that true brahman, who is devoid of a body, organs, mind, intellect, life-force and ego who is always pure, and who is endowed with intellect. I always salute the lord who is bliss, without a second form, who is worshipped by the celestials and demons, and who is surrounded by gods and goddesses. I pay obeisance to the destroyer of the sinful propensities of the Kali period, the person wearing the garland of wild flowers, the protector of all the worlds, the one bent on the redemption of the family, the one divided himself into the manifest and unmanifest. I worship that destroyer of frightful sins and one who remains as the permanent essence. O lord! Gadadhara! I have come to Gayà in order to do the ancestral rite. You be the witness for me here today. Let me be free from three kinds of debts. May the gods Brahmå, Ishana and others be the witness for me. I have come to Gayà and have redeemed my forefathers. Whoever reads (about) the greatness of Gayå at the time of doing) the ancestral rite, attains the region of Brahma. The ancestral rite done to the forefathers becomes undecaying and it confers the region of Brahma.