Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52
येन नो याति पातालं गंगा स्वर्गपरिच्युता । तस्मात्त्वं देव मद्वाक्यात्स्वमूर्ध्ना वह जाह्नवीम्
yena no yāti pātālaṃ gaṃgā svargaparicyutā | tasmāttvaṃ deva madvākyātsvamūrdhnā vaha jāhnavīm
Agar Gaṅgā yang jatuh dari syurga itu tidak menjunam ke alam bawah (Pātāla), maka, wahai Dewa, atas permohonanku, dukunglah Jāhnavī di atas kepalamu sendiri.
Likely Devī (Pārvatī) addressing Śiva, inferred from vocative sureśvari earlier and the request to 'Deva'
Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A supplicant (implied speaker: Umā/Pārvatī or divine interlocutor) urges Śiva to bear Jāhnavī on his head so her heavenly fall does not pierce down to pātāla; Gaṅgā appears as a luminous stream poised to descend.
FAQs
Divine power is mediated through divine restraint—Śiva’s bearing of Gaṅgā makes heavenly grace safe and accessible to the world.
Gaṅgā-tīrthas broadly, by grounding their sanctity in the cosmic event of Gaṅgā’s descent and containment.
None explicitly; the verse is etiological (explaining the sacred origin).