The Skanda Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 2,545,880 words
This page describes Greatness of Ganga which is chapter 229 of the English translation of the Skanda Purana, the largest of the eighteen Mahapuranas, preserving the ancient Indian society and Hindu traditions in an encyclopedic format, detailling on topics such as dharma (virtous lifestyle), cosmogony (creation of the universe), mythology (itihasa), genealogy (vamsha) etc. This is the two hundred twenty-ninth chapter of the Prabhasa-kshetra-mahatmya of the Prabhasa Khanda of the Skanda Purana.
Chapter 229 - Greatness of Gaṅgā
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Īśvara said:
1-3. Thereafter, O great goddess, a devotee should go to Gaṅgā of triple streams to the north-east of Anarakeśa shrine.
It has sprung by itself from the centre of the earth. It was brought by Viṣṇu earlier for the salvation of the Yādavas and to quell all sins.
He who, out of accumulated merits gathered with difficulty, performs the rite of ablution and Śrāddha rite in accordance with the injunctions will not regret or bemoan his omissions and commissions.
4. O goddess, by bathing in the waters of Jāhnavī on the Full-Moon day in the month of Kārttika one shall obtain the merit that one gets by making the gift of the entire Cosmic Egg.
5. After the advent of Kali Age, the opportunity of viewing it is very rare. Holy bath and ritualistic gifts in the waters of Jāhnavī at Prabhāsa is still rarer.