Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26
आलस्यघ्न्यापदां हंत्री ह्यानंदामृतवर्षिणी । इरावतीष्टदात्रीष्टा त्विष्टापूर्तफलप्रदा
ālasyaghnyāpadāṃ haṃtrī hyānaṃdāmṛtavarṣiṇī | irāvatīṣṭadātrīṣṭā tviṣṭāpūrtaphalapradā
Sie vertilgt Trägheit und schlägt Unheil nieder; wahrlich lässt sie den Nektar der Wonne regnen. Irāvatī, Spenderin der ersehnten Gaben, geliebt und strahlend, gewährt die Früchte von iṣṭa und pūrta (Opferverehrung und öffentlichen frommen Werken).
Skanda (contextual attribution within Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (frame)
Scene: Devī as Irāvatī stands radiant, pouring a rain of amṛta-like light; below, devotees build wells, feed pilgrims, and perform fire offerings—iṣṭa and pūrta shown side-by-side; sloth depicted as a dark figure fleeing.
FAQs
Gaṅgā’s grace energizes dharma: she dispels inertia, removes adversity, and matures the merit of both worship and charitable public works.
Gaṅgā in Kāśī, praised also by the epithet Irāvatī, linking the river’s presence with the fruition of dharmic deeds.
The verse references iṣṭa and pūrta—ritual worship/sacrifice and public meritorious acts—implying that such dharma performed in relation to Gaṅgā yields fruit.