Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 69
न्यायेन दुर्लभं द्रव्यं देशे कालेपि वा पुनः । दानार्हौ देशकालौ तौ स्यातां श्रेष्ठौ न चान्यथा
nyāyena durlabhaṃ dravyaṃ deśe kālepi vā punaḥ | dānārhau deśakālau tau syātāṃ śreṣṭhau na cānyathā
ন্যায়পথে যে ধন লাভ করা দুর্লভ—দেশ বা কালের কারণে—সেই ধন দান করলে সেই দেশ ও সেই কালই দানের জন্য শ্রেষ্ঠ ও যোগ্য হয়ে ওঠে, অন্যথা নয়।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A drought/lean-season setting: a donor gives a hard-earned portion; the environment subtly brightens, symbolizing that the place-time becomes sanctified by charity.
FAQs
Charity becomes especially meritorious when lawful resources are scarce—difficulty in time/place elevates the act.
No single tīrtha is specified; the verse speaks of ‘place and time’ as conditions for heightened merit.
It recommends dāna particularly when rightful wealth is difficult to procure due to circumstances of time and place.