Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6
ऋग्वेदमूर्तिर्गंगा स्याद्यमुना च यजुर्ध्रुवम् । नर्मदा साममूर्तिस्तु स्यादथर्वा सरस्वती
ṛgvedamūrtirgaṃgā syādyamunā ca yajurdhruvam | narmadā sāmamūrtistu syādatharvā sarasvatī
يُقال إنّ الغانغا هي تجسيدُ الرِّغفيدا؛ وإنّ اليامونا، حقًّا، تجسيدُ اليَجُرفيدا؛ والنَّرمَدا تجسيدُ السامافيدا؛ أمّا السَّرَسْوَتي فهي الأثَرفافيدا.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Veda-mūrti Mahānadyaḥ (Gaṅgā=Ṛg, Yamunā=Yajus, Narmadā=Sāma, Sarasvatī=Atharva)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Munayaḥ
Scene: Four rivers shown as goddesses each holding a Veda emblem: Gaṅgā with Ṛgveda palm-leaf, Yamunā with Yajurveda, Narmadā with Sāmaveda (musical motif), Sarasvatī with Atharvaveda (protective/ritual motif).
FAQs
Holy rivers are not merely waters but living embodiments of Vedic revelation, linking tīrtha to śruti (the Vedas).
The four principal rivers—Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Narmadā, and Sarasvatī—are glorified through Vedic identification.
None explicitly; the verse provides theological symbolism rather than a concrete ritual rule.