Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79
अकामो वा सकामो वा तिर्यग्योनिगतोपि वा । गंगायां यो मृतो मर्त्यो नरकं स न पश्यति
akāmo vā sakāmo vā tiryagyonigatopi vā | gaṃgāyāṃ yo mṛto martyo narakaṃ sa na paśyati
Whether desireless or desire-driven—even if one has fallen into an animal birth—any mortal who dies in the Gaṅgā does not behold hell.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-tīra)
Type: ghat
Scene: A dying pilgrim is gently lowered into Gaṅgā’s waters at Kāśī; attendants chant; above, subtle celestial beings appear, while dark naraka imagery recedes, symbolizing deliverance.
FAQs
The Gaṅgā is portrayed as radically purifying—her grace can override even severe karmic conditions at life’s end.
The Gaṅgā river, especially as experienced in Kāśī’s sacred sphere.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse emphasizes the salvific merit associated with dying in the Gaṅgā.
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