Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4
सर्वाभ्योपि नदीभ्यश्च श्रेष्ठाः सर्वाः समुद्रगाः । ततोपि हि महाश्रेष्ठाः सरित्सु सरिदुत्तमाः
sarvābhyopi nadībhyaśca śreṣṭhāḥ sarvāḥ samudragāḥ | tatopi hi mahāśreṣṭhāḥ saritsu sariduttamāḥ
Among all rivers, those that flow to the ocean are most excellent; yet beyond even them are the supremely excellent—praised as the best among all streams.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Listener: Munayaḥ
Scene: A symbolic map-like tableau: many rivers converging toward the ocean; above them a highlighted set of ‘best streams’ glowing brighter, indicating higher sanctity.
FAQs
Purāṇic sacred geography recognizes degrees of sanctity, moving from general praise toward identifying the most eminent rivers.
No single site yet; it introduces a graded exaltation of rivers, leading to naming the foremost rivers.
None; it is a doctrinal ranking statement rather than a ritual instruction.