Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31
मातापितृविहीनं यो मौंजीपाणिग्रहादिभिः । संस्कारयेन्निजैरर्थैस्तस्य श्रेयस्त्वनंतकम्
mātāpitṛvihīnaṃ yo mauṃjīpāṇigrahādibhiḥ | saṃskārayennijairarthaistasya śreyastvanaṃtakam
Wer aus eigenen Mitteln die Saṃskāras—wie die Anlegung der heiligen Schnur und die Eheschließung—für einen Mutter- und Vaterlosen vollzieht, dessen geistliches Heil ist ohne Ende.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A benefactor arranges an upanayana for an orphan: the boy receives the yajñopavīta and staff; later a marriage rite scene—both suffused with sacred light, showing society restoring dharma.
FAQs
Enabling another’s dharmic life-cycle rites—especially for the unsupported—is a supremely meritorious form of giving.
The verse is part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharma teaching; it reflects the Kāśī Māhātmya spirit where righteous acts gain heightened sanctity.
To sponsor saṃskāras like mauñjī (upanayana) and pāṇigraha (marriage) for those lacking parental support.