Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
यो देहपतनाद्यावद्गंगातीरं न मुंचति । स हि वेदांतविद्योगी ब्रह्मचर्यव्रती सदा
yo dehapatanādyāvadgaṃgātīraṃ na muṃcati | sa hi vedāṃtavidyogī brahmacaryavratī sadā
உடல் வீழும் வரை கங்கைத் தீரத்தை விட்டு விலகாதவன், உண்மையில் வேதாந்தவித் யோகி; அவன் எப்போதும் பிரம்மச்சர்ய விரதத்தில் நிலைபெற்றவன்.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra-vāsa (until deha-patana)
Type: ghat
Listener: Audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dialogue frame
Scene: An aged ascetic on a Gaṅgā ghāṭa, simple cloth, matted hair, holding a Vedānta text; daily routine implied—snāna, japa, silent meditation—while the river flows as a symbol of brahman-consciousness.
FAQs
Steadfast residence by Gaṅgā is equated with the highest spiritual disciplines—Vedānta, yoga, and brahmacarya.
The Gaṅgā riverbank (gaṅgātīra), especially as a life-long sacred abode.
A clear prescription of gaṅgātīra-tyāga-varjana: do not abandon Gaṅgā’s bank until death (a vow-like discipline).