Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
गंगास्नानार्थमुद्युक्तो मध्येमार्गं मृतो यदि । गंगास्नानफलं सोपि तदाप्नोति न संशयः
gaṃgāsnānārthamudyukto madhyemārgaṃ mṛto yadi | gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ sopi tadāpnoti na saṃśayaḥ
যদি কোনো ব্যক্তি গঙ্গাস্নান কৰিবলৈ উদ্যত হৈ যাত্ৰাৰ মাজপথতে মৃত্যুবৰণ কৰে, তেন্তে সিও গঙ্গাস্নানৰ ফল নিশ্চয় লাভ কৰে—ইয়াত সন্দেহ নাই।
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-Gaṅgā)
Type: river
Scene: A pilgrim sets out with water-pot and staff, eyes fixed on the imagined Gaṅgā; he collapses on the road while celestial beings (or Gaṅgā’s grace) acknowledge his saṅkalpa; distant vision of Kāśī ghāṭas and flowing river appears as a luminous promise.
FAQs
Sincere intention (saṅkalpa) toward a sacred act carries spiritual efficacy, even if the act is interrupted by death.
The Gaṅgā tīrtha, approached as a pilgrimage destination within the Kāśī framework.
Undertaking pilgrimage for Gaṅgā-snāna; the verse highlights the merit of the vow/intention itself.