Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34
ममतेजोग्निगर्भेयं ममवीर्यातिसंवृता । दाहिका सर्वदोषाणां सर्वपापविनाशिनी
mamatejognigarbheyaṃ mamavīryātisaṃvṛtā | dāhikā sarvadoṣāṇāṃ sarvapāpavināśinī
Diese (Gaṅgā) ist aus dem Feuer meines Glanzes geboren, erfüllt von meiner höchsten Kraft; sie verbrennt alle Makel und vernichtet alle Sünden.
Śiva (deduced from first-person divine claim within Gaṅgā-māhātmya context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as Śiva-tejas-sambhavā)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pārvatī or internal interlocutor (contextual)
Scene: Śiva speaks, indicating Gaṅgā as a radiant stream emerging from his fiery aura; the river appears as a luminous goddess whose touch burns away dark stains symbolizing doṣas and pāpas.
FAQs
Gaṅgā’s ability to purify is grounded in divine origin—she is described as charged with the deity’s radiance and power, hence sin-destroying.
Gaṅgā as the supreme purifier, central to Kāśī’s sacred geography and ritual life.
No explicit act is commanded; the verse asserts Gaṅgā’s inherent capacity to burn faults and destroy sins, supporting snāna/pūjā practices.