puratan pragya ke pradesh bihar ki rajdhani patna se takriban 100 ki. mi. dakshin ki or falgu nadi ke kinare virajman gaya bharat varsh ke prachinatam nagron men se ek hai. sadiyon se shraddh, pinddan v tarpan ki sarvakhyat bhumi ke rup men charchit gaya ka varnan vivaran shri valmiki ramayan, mahabharat, anand ramayan, vayu puran, agni puran, garur puran, skand puran, padm puran, vishnu puran sahit kitne hi uppuran, smriti, upnishad, aitihasik puratatvik akhyanon men drashtavya hai. janm ke sath hi manushya is bhu-dhara par tin prakar ke rin se bandh jata hai- dev rin, rishi rin aur pitri rin. ismen pitri rin se urin hona tabhi sanbhav hai jab ap gaya men apne pitron ke nam shraddh, pinddan jaise dharmik anushthan sanpann karte hain. is tarah pitri dosh nivaran ka sabse mahan sthal gaya hai jise ‘pitri paksh ka mahatirtha’ bhi kaha gaya hai. yah janne ki bat hai ki chandra mas ki adhi avdhi paksh (pakh) kahi jati hai aur pure varsh (purushottam mas ko chorkr) mane 24 paksh ki sthiti bodh hoti hai. isi men ashvin mah ka pratham paksh arthat ashvin pratipda se ashvin amavasya ki tithi ko pitripaksh ke rup men nirupit kiya jata hai jo pitaran karya ke lie sarva upyukt karyakal svikara jata hai.
yugon-yugon se sanpurn bhartiya bhumi men panchayagya ki pradhanta rahi hai jismen ‘brahmayagya’, ‘devayagya’, ‘bhutayagya,’ ‘pitriyagya’ aur ‘nriyagya’ ka nam ata hai. isi men pind kriya dvara jis yagya ka sanpadan kiya jata hai vahi pitriyagya hai aur iske antargat shraddh, pinddan v tarpan ka vidhan hai. aise to sanpurn bhartiya parikshetra men kitne hi tirthon men shraddh, pinddan jaise anushthan kie jate hain par is karmakritya men gaya ki mahima akshunn aur mahatmya aparampar hai. prachin magadh kshetra ke hriday bhag men avasthit gaya tirth ka yah varshik samagam puratan kal se hi desh videsh men prasiddh raha hai jise ‘‘maghiya mahakunbh’ bhi kaha jata hai. shraddh pinddan ki mahatta ke karan hi gaya ko ‘‘moksh tirtha’’, ‘‘sayujya mukti tirtha’’, ‘‘pitri tirtha’ v ‘‘pancham dham’ ki sangya se alankrit kiya gaya hai. sarvapratham yah janna param avashyak ho jata hai ki shraddh pinddan ka sarvotkrisht sthal gaya hi kyon hai? vishay se jure tathya v sakshyon ke adhyayan, anushilan spasht karte hain ki shvetvarah kalp men tripurasur v prabhavti devi ka jyeshth putra ‘gay’ hua jo balyakal se hi dev shri vishnu ka param bhakt, parakrami v sadhak pravritti ka tha. vivaran hai ki isne apne dahine pair ke anguthe par avalambit hokar lagatar nirahar rahakar das hajar varshon ki tapasya ki.
100 yojan lanba aur 60 yojan chaira gayasur ne kolahal parvat par tapasya ki aur isse prasann hokar shri vishnu ne n sirf apne divya darshan die varan vardan bhi diya ki jo tumhen sparsh kar le svargalok ka sakshat adhikari ban jaega. ab is gayasur ke prabhav se satya asatya bhav ke sabhi jiv svarg ko jane lage. dev lok men halachal mach gai. ant men yugpita brahma ki mantrana se srishti ke safal sanchalnarth ek yagya hona sunishchit hua aur vipra rup men svayan brahma ne ‘gay’ se yachna ki ki is bhu-lok men tere sharir jaisa param pavitra kuch bhi nahin atah bhagvan vishnu ka yah mahayagya teri kaya par hi sanpann hoga. gay sahaj men man gaya. koti-koti tirth v devvrind ki upasthiti men yagya hote samay ‘gay’ ka sharir punah kanpyman ho gaya. ab kya tha sanpurn devtaon ke anunay vinay se dev shri vishnu gada dharan kar yahan ae aur apne dahine pair se ‘gay’ ki chati par aisa bhar banaya ki gay sada sarvada ke lie bhavshunya ho gaya. is tarah yah gayasur ki kaya ki maya hai ki aj bhi gaya men inke nam ki abha sadaiv jivant hai. gayasur ke mang ke anurup is nagar ko ‘gaya’ kaha jata hai jiska vistar prachya kal men kul chah kosh (panch kosh ka sharir aur ek kosh ka sir) ka tha. gaya men shraddh pinddan ki pratham shuruat yug pita brahma dvara kiya gaya. ullekh hai ki isi kram men brahma ji ne chaidah gotriya brahman ko utpann kiya jo gayapal (gayaval) brahman kahe jate hain.
brahmakalpit inhin vidvan brahman ya gayapal panda ji ke nirdeshan men gaya shraddh kie jane ki nirbadh paranpra hai. shri vishnu pad mandir puja aur shraddh pinddan ke jankar panda aur gurda gharane ke vanshaj mahakal babu batate hain ki bagair gayapal ke ashirvad v sufal ke gaya shraddh ki purnata nahin ho sakti. yahi karan hai ki gaya ane vale harek bhakt apni shakti v samathrya ke anurup gayapalon ki seva avashya karte hain. inke sabhi parijan bhi vishnupad aur usse sate andar gaya muhalle men nivas karte hain. shraddh pinddan ke vishesh adhikari hone ke karan inhen ‘shri vishnu ka parshada’ bhi kaha jata hai. shraddh pinddan ke mishrit ati prachin kal se gaya men n sirf devi devta varan mahatmaon ke sath raje maharaje v am bhakton ka agaman bana hua hai. isi karan gaya ko bhramnkalin sanskriti ka murdhanya kendra kaha jata hai jahan ramayan kal men shri ram, mata sita, bhrata lakshman v bharat ka agaman hua to mahabharat kal men rishi-muniyon ke alave panchon pandvon ka padarpan hua hai. aitihasik yug men tathagat bhagvan buddh ke bad to yahan deshi hi nahin videshi logon ka agaman bhi bana aur iski paripati vartaman men bhi jivant hai. gaya men shraddh pinddan ke karya jahan sanpann kie jate hain unhen pindvedi athva tirth vedi kaha jata hai.
prachin kal men inki sankhya 365 thi jahan ek-ek karke pure varsh tak dharmik karm kritya hota rahta tha par ghatte-ghatte kal ke gal men samahit hone ke bad inki sankhya ab pachas ke karib hai jinmen shrifalguji, vishnupad v akshayavat ka bara hi man hai aur in tinon ko milakar ‘tristambh vedi’ bhi kaha gaya hai. gaya men in pind vediyon men mandir, kund, talab, parvat, vriksh, kup, nadi adi ki puja hoti hai jinke alg-alag nam hain. yahan ke kuch vedi vaidik kalin hain to kuch ki pratishtha prabhavishnu ramayan kal athva mahabharat kal men sthapit hui hai. gaya tirth ke pindvediyon men godavri vedi ko pahla v akshayavat ko antim bataya gaya hai. yah janne ki bat hai ki puranon men ‘punpun nadi’ tirth ko gaya ka pravesh dvar kaha gaya hai isilie pratham vedi ka kaj punpun men hi karke gaya shraddh ke shri ganesh ka shastrokt vidhan hai par jo yah nahin kar pate vah godavri se hi gaya shraddh ka shubharanbh karte hain. aj samay ke sath yahan kafi kuch badlav aya hai aur aisi sthiti men yahan shraddh katrta ek divsiya, tin divsiya, panchdivsiya, saptadivsiya aur pandrah dinon men gaya shraddh sanpann kar lete hain. jo ek divsiya pinddan karte hain ve falgu tirth, shri vishnupad aur akshayavat men shraddh sanpann kar lete hain. tin divsiya pinddan karne vale sarvapratham pahle din falgu men snan tarpan ke uprant falgu tat par parvan shraddh sanpann karke dev shri gadadhar ko panchamrit snan karate hain.
dusre din panch vedi (uttara) men brahmakund men shraddh karne ke uprant pretshila, ramshila aur fir ramkund par shraddh karke kakbli tatha sthanbli pindvedi par shraddh karte hain. tisre din falgu ji men snan tarpan ke bad shri vishnupad aur uske dakshini dhalan men avasthit solah vedi par shraddh karke akshayavat vedi par shraddh sanpann karte hain. shaiyadan ke bad gayapal panda se sufal prapt kar tirth anushthan sanpann karte hain. jo tirthayatri panch dini shraddh karte hain ve pratham divas men falgu, brahmakund, pretshila, ramshila, kakbli vedi par pind arpit karte hain. dusre din uttar manas, dakshin manas, matangvani tatha dharmaranya par pinddan ka vidhan hai. tisre din go prachar, amrasinchan, kakbli tatha tarak vedi par pind diya jata hai. chaitha din gayasir vedi, vishnupad, solah vedi par pind arpan ke bad nrisinh devta v vaman devta darshan v pujan karte hain aur ant men panchvan din gadalol, vriddhaparapita vedi v akshayavat vedi par gaya shraddh ki purnahuti hoti hai. saptadivsiya pinddan men sabse pahle falgu snan kiya jata hai. tatpashchat brahmakund, pretshila ramshila v ramkund ke sath kakbli tirth men pinddan ka vidhan hai. dusre din uttar manas, udichi tirth, kanakhal tirth, dakshin manas, jihnalol tirthadi par gaya shraddh ke karya kie jate hain.
tisre din bodh gaya sthit matangvapi, dharmaranya evan bodhidrum par pinddan hota hai. chaithe din brahm sarovar, tatak brahm, amrasinchan, kakbli adi tirthon men pindarpit hota hai. panchven din shri vishnupad, solhvedi, gayasir vedi tatha falgu ke us par sita kund men pinddan ka vidhan hai. chathe din mundaprishtha vedi, bhim gaya vedi, go prachar, manglagauri tatha shri markandey mahadev ji ka darshan kiya jata hai. ant men satvane din vaitrni, gadalol tatha akshayavat par pinddan v shaiyadan ke sath sufal lene ki purani paranpra hai. pandrah divsiya pitripaksh men gaya shraddh katrta shri anant chaturdashi ko punpun shraddh kar gaya shraddh ka shri ganesh karte hain. purnima ke din falgu snan aur khir bhat ke pind ke sath shraddh sanpann kiya jata hai. ashvin krishnapaksh pratipda ko brahmakund men jau churn ka pind, pretshila, ramshila v ramkund shraddh karne ke bad kak, shvan aur yam ke nam par tin pind kakbli tirth men arpit karte hain. dusre din panchtirthi shraddh ke antargat uttar manas, udichi, kanakhal, dakshin manas v midhvalol men shraddh ke bad gadadhar devta ko pancharatn dan kiya jata hai. tritiya tithi ko sarasvati tirth men snan (panchamrit snan) ke uprant matangvapi, dharmaranya v bodhitru ke sannikat shraddh kiya jata hai. chaturthi divas men brahm sarovar, kakbli ke bad tatak brahm ka darshan aur amrasinchan men dharmanushthan sanpann kiya jata hai.
panchmi tithi ko shri vishnupad shraddh, tirth darshan v brahmapad shraddh ka vidhan hai. shashthi tithi ko kartik pad, dakshinagni pad, gahapatyagni shraddh v ahvniyagni shraddh kiya jata hai. satven din suryapad vedi, chandrapad vedi, ganeshapad vedi, sandhyagni vedi avsandhyagni pad v dadhichi pad par shraddh kiya jata hai. ashtam divas men kanva pad, matangapad, kaunchapad, agastya pad, indrapad, kashyap pad ke shraddhoprant adhikarnapad men dravya tarpan v annadan ka vidhan hai. navam divas men falgu ke us par ram gaya shraddh, sita kund men baluka rashi ka pindadi arpan ke bad saubhagyavadan dan ka vidhan hai. dasven din gaya sir, gaya kup v mundaprishth vedi par shraddh kiya jata hai. ekadshi ke din adi gadadhar tirth v dhautapad vedi men shraddh kar chandi dan ki purani panrpra hai. barhven din manglagauri tirth ke raste bhim gaya, gau prachar, gadalol shraddhadi ka karya kiya jata hai. terhven din vaitrni shraddh, godan v dudh tarpan kiya jata hai. chaturdashi tithi ko shri vishnu ji ka panchamrit pujan v tirth darshan to amavasya ke din akshayavat shraddh, khir ka pind v shodshdan v sufal ka vidhan hai.
sabse antim din arthat gaya se prasthan ke purva gayatri ghat ka pind v acharya ko dakshina v angavastra dan ka vidhan hai. yah janne ki bat hai ki gaya ji men sal ke sabhi din shraddha-pinddan hote hain par pitripaksh men iska mahatva atyadhik bataya jata hai. puranon ki spasht svikarokti hai ki pitripaksh ke dauran pitar falgutat par adrishya rup men upasthit hokar apne parijnon se ann jal ki abhilasha karte hain aur jo hindu yah nahin karta uske pitar shrap dekar punah chandralok ke prishthatal men avasthit pitaran lok vapas chale jate hain. gaya men svapinddan kendra men svayan ka pindarpan hota hai. astu ! yugon-yugon se gaya tirth men sanpadit hone vale shraddh, pinddan v pitar puja bhartiya sanskriti ke merudand hain. yahi hamari sanatan sanskriti ka adhar hai jahan mata ko dharti se bari aur pita ko svarg se bara bataya jata hai. magadh ki sanskritik sarokar men yah kaha jata hai ‘‘barhe putra pita ke dharme’’ arthat putra pita ke dharm se hi vikas path par agrasar hota hai. aise men harek putra ka yah ati avashyak sanatan karm hai ki vah gaya shraddh kare. vivaran hai ki gaya shraddh katrta ko ashvamedh yagya ayojit karne ka fal sahaj prapt ho jata hai.