Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 80
प्राग्जन्मार्जितपापौघैः पीडितायाश्चिरं मम । आहारमात्रदानेन दयां कुरुत भो जनाः
prāgjanmārjitapāpaughaiḥ pīḍitāyāściraṃ mama | āhāramātradānena dayāṃ kuruta bho janāḥ
Lange schon werde ich von Fluten der Sünden gequält, die ich in früheren Geburten erworben habe. O ihr Menschen, erbarmt euch meiner — gebt mir nur ein wenig Speise.
Caṇḍālī (the begging woman) (deduced from first-person plea)
Scene: An aged, destitute supplicant with folded hands addresses passersby, asking only a little food; the contrast between inner suffering (pāpa-bhāra) and outer simplicity (small alms) is emphasized.
FAQs
A small act of mercy—especially food-giving—becomes a powerful expression of dharma amid the realities of karma and suffering.
The wider Gokarṇa-kṣetra episode frames the plea, though the verse itself focuses on dāna and compassion.
Āhāra-dāna/anna-dāna: giving food, even in a small quantity, to one who begs.