Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13
स स्नातः सर्वतीर्थेषु सर्वक्रतुषु दीक्षितः । चीर्णसर्वव्रतः सोपि यस्तु गंगां निषेवते
sa snātaḥ sarvatīrtheṣu sarvakratuṣu dīkṣitaḥ | cīrṇasarvavrataḥ sopi yastu gaṃgāṃ niṣevate
جو شخص عقیدت سے گنگا کا سہارا لیتا ہے، وہ گویا تمام تیرتھوں میں اشنان کر چکا، سب یگیوں کے لیے دِکشا پا چکا، اور ہر ورت کا پالن کر چکا ہوتا ہے۔
Skanda
Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)
Type: ghat
Scene: A devotee stands waist-deep in Gaṅgā at a Kāśī ghāṭa; above him appear visionary vignettes—many tīrthas, sacrificial fires with dīkṣā, and diverse vrata observances—collapsing into a single radiant stream labeled ‘Gaṅgā-sevā’.
FAQs
Single-pointed devotion to the Gaṅgā can equal the accumulated merit of many dispersed rituals and pilgrimages.
The Gaṅgā (in the Kāśī frame), called the supreme substitute for all tīrtha-bathing.
Gaṅgā-niṣevā (resorting to/serving the Gaṅgā) is upheld as a meritorious practice comparable to dīkṣā for sacrifices and comprehensive vrata-observance.