Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17
कृते सर्वत्र तीर्थानि त्रेतायां पुष्करं परम् । द्वापरे तु कुरुक्षेत्रं कलौ गंगैव केवलम्
kṛte sarvatra tīrthāni tretāyāṃ puṣkaraṃ param | dvāpare tu kurukṣetraṃ kalau gaṃgaiva kevalam
کرت یُگ میں ہر جگہ تیرتھ ہیں؛ تریتا میں پُشکر سب سے برتر ہے۔ دواپر میں کُرُکشیتر افضل ہے؛ مگر کلی یُگ میں صرف گنگا ہی پرم تیرتھ اور واحد پناہ ہے۔
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā
Type: river
Listener: A devotee/interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s dialogue frame (commonly Śiva/Devī/ṛṣi audiences depending on subchapter)
Scene: A yuga-wheel tableau: Kṛta with many shining tīrthas across the earth; Tretā centered on Puṣkara lake; Dvāpara centered on Kurukṣetra; Kali centered on the flowing Gaṅgā, luminous and compassionate, drawing pilgrims to her banks.
FAQs
As spiritual capacity declines in Kali-yuga, Gaṅgā is praised as the most accessible and powerful support for purification and merit.
Gaṅgā is glorified as the foremost tīrtha in Kali-yuga, within the Kāśī-centric sacred landscape.
No single rite is specified here; the verse establishes Gaṅgā herself as the primary means of tīrtha-merit in Kali-yuga (implying snāna, sevā, and remembrance).