Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32
वृथा कुल वृथा विद्या वृथा यज्ञा वृथातपः । वृथा दानानि तस्येह कलौ गंगां न यो भजेत्
vṛthā kula vṛthā vidyā vṛthā yajñā vṛthātapaḥ | vṛthā dānāni tasyeha kalau gaṃgāṃ na yo bhajet
Vergeblich sind Herkunft, Wissen, Opfer und Askese; vergeblich auch die Gaben in diesem Kali-Yuga für den, der Gaṅgā nicht verehrt.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)
Type: ghat
Listener: Pārvatī or a primary interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration (contextual)
Scene: A preacher-sage at a Kāśī ghāṭa points to the flowing Gaṅgā while householders and ascetics listen; behind them rise temple spires and lamps, emphasizing Kali-yuga urgency and the river’s supremacy over lineage and learning.
FAQs
For Kali-yuga, the Purāṇic emphasis shifts to accessible salvific practices—Gaṅgā-bhajana is exalted as central.
Gaṅgā as the principal tīrtha whose worship makes other religious acts meaningful.
Bhajana/upāsanā (devotional worship/service) of Gaṅgā is prescribed, especially relevant for Kali-yuga.