Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19
ध्यानं कृते मोक्षहेतुस्त्रेतायां तच्च वै तपः । द्वापरे तद्द्वयं यज्ञाः कलौ गंगैव केवलम्
dhyānaṃ kṛte mokṣahetustretāyāṃ tacca vai tapaḥ | dvāpare taddvayaṃ yajñāḥ kalau gaṃgaiva kevalam
In the Kṛta age, meditation is the cause of liberation; in Tretā, the same goal is attained through tapas (austerity); in Dvāpara, through both together as yajña (sacrifice); but in Kali-yuga, Gaṅgā alone is the sole means.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: river
Listener: Audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dialogue frame
Scene: Four spiritual disciplines depicted as yuga emblems: Kṛta—sage in deep meditation; Tretā—ascetic in tapas; Dvāpara—yajña with fire and offerings; Kali—pilgrims bathing in Gaṅgā with hands raised in prayer, the river shining like liquid light.
FAQs
The verse teaches yuga-appropriate sādhanā: in Kali-yuga, Gaṅgā is praised as the most effective support for liberation.
Gaṅgā is exalted as the decisive tīrtha/sādhana for Kali-yuga.
Implicitly, Gaṅgā-centered practice (snāna, sevā, remembrance) is recommended as Kali-yuga’s principal means.
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