Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5
ततः स्वजानुमात्रेण संप्राप्तं पृथिवीतले । ततो विष्णुपदी गंगा प्रसिद्धिमगमत्क्षितौ
tataḥ svajānumātreṇa saṃprāptaṃ pṛthivītale | tato viṣṇupadī gaṃgā prasiddhimagamatkṣitau
তারপর তিনি নিজের জানুর পরিমিতি পর্যন্ত অবতীর্ণ হয়ে পৃথিবীতলে এসে পৌঁছাল। সেই থেকেই গঙ্গা পৃথিবীতে ‘বিষ্ণুপদী’—বিষ্ণুর পদজাত—নামে প্রসিদ্ধ হলো।
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Viṣṇupadī)
Type: river
Scene: A luminous stream descends from Viṣṇu’s foot-region to earth, stopping at ‘knee-measure’ imagery; the river is personified as Gaṅgā, radiant and flowing, with the epithet ‘Viṣṇupadī’ emphasized.
FAQs
Gaṅgā’s holiness is grounded in her divine source—Viṣṇu’s Foot—making contact with her a purifier within dharma.
The verse highlights the Viṣṇupada tradition and the sanctity of Gaṅgā as she becomes renowned on earth, within the Prabhāsakṣetra narrative flow.
No direct prescription here; it establishes why later bathing and worship at connected tīrthas yields merit.