Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50
ततो महीतलं सर्वं पातालं प्रविवेश सा । अंडमूर्ध्नि स्थिता देवी सततं द्वारवासिनी
tato mahītalaṃ sarvaṃ pātālaṃ praviveśa sā | aṃḍamūrdhni sthitā devī satataṃ dvāravāsinī
मग ती संपूर्ण पृथ्वी-तल व पाताळात प्रविष्ट झाली। ब्रह्मांडाच्या मस्तकावर अधिष्ठित ती देवी सदैव द्वारपालिनी म्हणून वास करते.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā as Dvāra-vāsinī (cosmic gate-guardian)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Gaṅgā’s waters permeate earth and descend into pātāla, while Gaṅgā-devī remains poised at the cosmic crown as a vigilant gate-guardian, marking the boundary between realms.
FAQs
The sacred river is also a cosmic protector—present across realms and sustaining order as a divine guardian.
No specific earthly tīrtha is named; the verse frames Gaṅgā’s presence as spanning Bhūloka and Pātāla.
None directly; the emphasis is on Gaṅgā’s divine station and protective function.