Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65
अक्षरद्वयमभ्यस्तं नास्तिनास्तीति यत्पुरा । तदिदं देहिदेहिति विपरीतमुपस्थितम्
akṣaradvayamabhyastaṃ nāstināstīti yatpurā | tadidaṃ dehidehiti viparītamupasthitam
Der zweisilbige Kehrvers, den man einst übte, lautete: «Es ist nicht, es ist nicht.» Nun ist eben dieses Paar verkehrt erschienen als: «Gib, gib!»
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)
Scene: A stylized scroll shows the words ‘नास्ति नास्ति’ fading into ‘देहि देहि’ glowing. A former miser’s mouth is shown in profile transforming from tight-lipped denial to open-handed giving before a shrine.
FAQs
Life turns the earlier denial of need (‘nāsti’) into an urgent call to generosity (‘dehi’); the wise respond by giving rather than withholding.
No site is mentioned; the verse functions as a moral maxim within the dāna discourse.
Implicitly promotes dāna (charity), though no specific item, time, or recipient-class is specified in this verse.