Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50
ततो महीतलं सर्वं पातालं प्रविवेश सा । अंडमूर्ध्नि स्थिता देवी सततं द्वारवासिनी
tato mahītalaṃ sarvaṃ pātālaṃ praviveśa sā | aṃḍamūrdhni sthitā devī satataṃ dvāravāsinī
ثمّ دخلتْ في كامل سطح الأرض، ونفذتْ إلى پاتالا، العالم السفلي. والإلهةُ القائمةُ على تاج البيضة الكونية تمكث أبدًا حارسةً للباب عند العتبة.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā as Dvāra-vāsinī (cosmic gate-guardian)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Gaṅgā’s waters permeate earth and descend into pātāla, while Gaṅgā-devī remains poised at the cosmic crown as a vigilant gate-guardian, marking the boundary between realms.
FAQs
The sacred river is also a cosmic protector—present across realms and sustaining order as a divine guardian.
No specific earthly tīrtha is named; the verse frames Gaṅgā’s presence as spanning Bhūloka and Pātāla.
None directly; the emphasis is on Gaṅgā’s divine station and protective function.