Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24
यज्ञ दान तपो योग जपाः सनियमा यमाः । गंगासेवासहस्रांशं न लभंते कलौ हरे
yajña dāna tapo yoga japāḥ saniyamā yamāḥ | gaṃgāsevāsahasrāṃśaṃ na labhaṃte kalau hare
O sacrifício (yajña), a caridade, a austeridade, o yoga, o japa, as observâncias e as restrições: ó Hari, no Kali-yuga não alcançam sequer a milésima parte do mérito que provém do serviço a Gaṅgā.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: kshetra
Scene: A comparative tableau: on one side, elaborate yajña with priests and fires; on another, ascetics in tapas and yogic postures; centrally, a humble devotee serving Gaṅgā—cleaning steps, offering a lamp—radiating a vastly larger aura of merit in Kali-yuga.
FAQs
In Kali-yuga, Gaṅgā-sevā is exalted as extraordinarily fruitful, surpassing many classical disciplines in accessible merit.
Gaṅgā is glorified specifically through the practice of gaṅgā-sevā (service to the river and her sacred banks).
Gaṅgā-sevā is explicitly praised as the recommended practice; other disciplines are listed for comparison.