Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31
उच्चैः पाषाणयुक्ता च न समा नैव चोषरा । न नदीकूलविकटा भूमिर्देया कदाचन
uccaiḥ pāṣāṇayuktā ca na samā naiva coṣarā | na nadīkūlavikaṭā bhūmirdeyā kadācana
لا ينبغي أن تُوهَبَ الأرضُ قطّ إن كانت شديدةَ الارتفاع، كثيرةَ الحجارة، غيرَ مستوية، سبخةً أو قاحلة؛ ولا تُعطى أرضٌ وعرةٌ عسيرةٌ على ضفاف النهر.
Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narration)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A donor and priest examine a plot: elevated rocky ground, uneven saline patches, and a jagged riverbank; the priest gestures ‘na deyā’ while pointing to fertile alternative land.
FAQs
Charity must be responsible and beneficial; a gift that harms or is unusable undermines dharma.
The instruction is placed within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, presenting righteous giving as part of Prabhāsa’s sacred code.
A dāna-vidhi rule for bhūmi-dāna: avoid gifting land that is barren, rocky, uneven, or otherwise unsuitable.