Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
कलौ कलुषचित्तानां परद्रव्यरतात्मनाम् । विधिहीनक्रियाणां च गतिर्गंगा विना नहि
kalau kaluṣacittānāṃ paradravyaratātmanām | vidhihīnakriyāṇāṃ ca gatirgaṃgā vinā nahi
Dalam Kali-yuga, bagi mereka yang batinnya ternoda, yang jiwanya terpikat pada harta orang lain, dan yang perbuatannya tanpa tuntunan dharma—tiada jalan keselamatan tanpa 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).