Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 47
तासां मध्ये स्थिताः काः स्वित्काश्चैव प्रलयं गताः । का नु पुण्यजला नित्यं कानु न क्षयमागता
tāsāṃ madhye sthitāḥ kāḥ svitkāścaiva pralayaṃ gatāḥ | kā nu puṇyajalā nityaṃ kānu na kṣayamāgatā
ومن بين تلك الأنهار، أيُّها باقٍ قائم، وأيُّها مضى إلى الفناء والانحلال؟ وأيُّها ماؤه طاهرٌ مقدّسٌ على الدوام، وأيُّها لا يلحقه النقصان؟
Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja)
Tirtha: Nitya-puṇya nadī (unnamed here; anticipatory toward Revā’s exaltation)
Type: river
Listener: Mārkaṇḍeya
Scene: The question is visualized as a mandala of rivers: some bright and continuous, others fading into mist (pralaya), with the sage and king at the center of inquiry.
FAQs
It seeks the principle of enduring sanctity—what remains holy beyond change—encouraging devotion anchored in eternal dharma.
The Revā Khaṇḍa’s river-centered sacred geography; the passage prepares for identifying rivers/tīrthas whose sanctity is portrayed as enduring.
No direct prescription; the verse sets up a teaching on the comparative sanctity and endurance of river-tīrthas.