Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 98
पूर्वोपात्तं भवेत्पुण्यं भुक्तिर्नैवार्जयन्त्यपि । इह भोगः स वै प्रोक्तो दुर्भगस्याल्पमेधसः
pūrvopāttaṃ bhavetpuṇyaṃ bhuktirnaivārjayantyapi | iha bhogaḥ sa vai prokto durbhagasyālpamedhasaḥ
البرّ (puṇya) المُكتسَب من قبل هو الذي يُـ«تُذَاق» ثمرته؛ أمّا مجرّد التمتّع فلا يُنشئ برًّا جديدًا. وهذا التمتّع في الدنيا قيل إنّه من نصيب الشقيّ وضيق العقل.
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Scene: A wealthy man feasts amid luxuries while a sage points to a diminishing pile of glowing coins labeled ‘past puṇya’; beside it, an empty vessel labeled ‘new puṇya’ remains unfilled until dāna/tapas begins.
FAQs
Worldly enjoyment largely consumes previously earned merit; one should actively cultivate new puṇya through dharmic action rather than merely indulging.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives a general dharma teaching on karma, puṇya, and bhoga.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the implication is to pursue dharma to ‘earn’ merit rather than only enjoy results.