Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
कलौ कलुषचित्तानां परद्रव्यरतात्मनाम् । विधिहीनक्रियाणां च गतिर्गंगा विना नहि
kalau kaluṣacittānāṃ paradravyaratātmanām | vidhihīnakriyāṇāṃ ca gatirgaṃgā vinā nahi
In Kali-yuga, for those whose minds are defiled, whose hearts delight in others’ wealth, and whose deeds lack rightful ordinance—there is no true refuge, no saving course, without the holy Gaṅgā.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: river
Listener: Audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dialogue frame
Scene: A stark Kali-yuga scene: people with troubled faces, grasping at wealth, neglected rituals; in contrast, the Gaṅgā flows radiant, with a compassionate divine presence inviting purification; a pilgrim turns from greed toward the river in remorse.
FAQs
Even amid Kali-yuga’s ethical and ritual decline, Gaṅgā is upheld as an incomparable refuge for purification and uplift.
Gaṅgā is presented as the indispensable tīrtha for Kali-yuga.
No explicit rite is named; the verse asserts dependence on Gaṅgā (approach, remembrance, service, and bathing are implied).