Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20
धनिनां दानहीनानां गार्हस्थ्याद्भिक्षुता वरा । आर्तत्राणविहीनानां जीवितान्मरणं वरम्
dhanināṃ dānahīnānāṃ gārhasthyādbhikṣutā varā | ārtatrāṇavihīnānāṃ jīvitānmaraṇaṃ varam
Für Reiche ohne Gabe ist Betteln besser als das Hausväterleben; wer die Bedrängten nicht rettet, dem ist der Tod besser als das Leben.
A moral voice within the narrative (continuing admonition)
Scene: A wealthy householder sits amid granaries and ornaments while a hungry mendicant and a distressed family stand outside; the verse’s moral inversion is shown by the mendicant’s serene radiance contrasted with the miser’s dim aura.
FAQs
Wealth and life are justified by dharmic use—charity and rescue; without these, one’s social role becomes meaningless.
No tīrtha is referenced.
Dāna (charitable giving) is implicitly prescribed as the dharmic duty of the wealthy.