Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47
न ददाति कदा दानमेवं कालः प्रवर्तते । लब्धशासनका विप्रा लुप्तस्वाम्या अहर्निशम्
na dadāti kadā dānamevaṃ kālaḥ pravartate | labdhaśāsanakā viprā luptasvāmyā aharniśam
لا أحدَ يقدّم صدقةً قطّ؛ هكذا يمضي الزمان. وكان البراهمة، مع ما لديهم من علمٍ وانضباط، يعيشون ليلَ نهار بلا كفيلٍ ولا حماية.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: vatsa-addressed interlocutor
Scene: A poignant street-side scene: brāhmaṇas with scriptures and staff, disciplined yet hungry, sitting near closed granaries; townspeople pass without giving; the sun sets on a city that has forgotten dāna.
FAQs
Withholding dāna and abandoning support for dharma-teachers is portrayed as a hallmark of societal decline, harming both givers and the community.
The Dharmāraṇya narrative context continues; this verse focuses on social-ethical decay rather than a specific tīrtha act.
Dāna (charity) is the implied prescription—its absence is condemned as a sign of declining dharma.