Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49
अनिच्छयापि संस्पृष्टो दहनो हि यथा दहेत् । अनिच्छयापि संस्नाता गंगा पापं तथा दहेत्
anicchayāpi saṃspṛṣṭo dahano hi yathā dahet | anicchayāpi saṃsnātā gaṃgā pāpaṃ tathā dahet
De même que le feu brûle même lorsqu’on le touche involontairement, de même la Gaṅgā: même si l’on s’y baigne sans intention, elle consume le péché.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: ghat
Scene: A person slips or is splashed by Gaṅgā unintentionally; simultaneously, a symbolic fire-flame motif overlays the water, showing sins as dark soot burning away into light.
FAQs
The purifying power of a true tīrtha is intrinsic—Gaṅgā removes sin like fire burns, regardless of intent.
Gaṅgā as the supreme purifier-tīrtha within the Kāśī sacred region.
Bathing in the Gaṅgā (snāna) as a means of pāpa-kṣaya (sin-destruction).