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
Tế lễ, bố thí, khổ hạnh, yoga, trì tụng, các giới luật và sự chế ngự—hỡi Hari, trong thời Kali, chúng cũng không đạt nổi dù chỉ một phần nghìn công đức do phụng sự 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.