Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17
कृते सर्वत्र तीर्थानि त्रेतायां पुष्करं परम् । द्वापरे तु कुरुक्षेत्रं कलौ गंगैव केवलम्
kṛte sarvatra tīrthāni tretāyāṃ puṣkaraṃ param | dvāpare tu kurukṣetraṃ kalau gaṃgaiva kevalam
কৃতযুগত সৰ্বত্ৰ তীৰ্থ বিদ্যমান; ত্ৰেতাযুগত পুষ্কৰ সৰ্বোত্তম। দ্বাপৰত কুৰুক্ষেত্ৰ অগ্ৰগণ্য; কিন্তু কলিযুগত কেৱল গঙ্গাই পৰম তীৰ্থ, একমাত্ৰ আশ্ৰয়।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: river
Listener: A devotee/interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dialogue frame (commonly Śiva/Devī/ṛṣi audiences depending on subchapter)
Scene: A yuga-wheel tableau: Kṛta with many shining tīrthas across the earth; Tretā centered on Puṣkara lake; Dvāpara centered on Kurukṣetra; Kali centered on the flowing Gaṅgā, luminous and compassionate, drawing pilgrims to her banks.
FAQs
As spiritual capacity declines in Kali-yuga, Gaṅgā is praised as the most accessible and powerful support for purification and merit.
Gaṅgā is glorified as the foremost tīrtha in Kali-yuga, within the Kāśī-centric sacred landscape.
No single rite is specified here; the verse establishes Gaṅgā herself as the primary means of tīrtha-merit in Kali-yuga (implying snāna, sevā, and remembrance).