Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 90
दानं चतुर्विधं दानमुत्सर्गः कल्पितं तथा । संश्रुतं चेति विविधं तत्क्रमात्परिकीर्तितम्
dānaṃ caturvidhaṃ dānamutsargaḥ kalpitaṃ tathā | saṃśrutaṃ ceti vividhaṃ tatkramātparikīrtitam
Die Gabe der Wohltätigkeit ist vierfach: (1) dāna, das unmittelbare Schenken; (2) utsarga, die öffentliche Stiftung als dauernde Zuwendung; (3) kalpita, das zugewiesene und bereitgestellte Geben; (4) saṃśruta, das versprochene, gelobte Geben. So wird es der Reihe nach gelehrt.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta)
Scene: A schematic narrative tableau showing four panels: a donor handing a gift; a public endowment to a temple/ghāṭa; an assigned provision (granary/annadāna kitchen); and a pledge recorded by a scribe on copper-plate/palm-leaf.
FAQs
Charity is not one-dimensional; the Purāṇa systematizes dāna into forms that support both individuals and public welfare.
No specific site is named; the verse provides a dharma-classification relevant to tīrtha culture and public merit.
Undertake dāna in its recognized forms—direct gifts, public endowments, arranged giving, and pledged giving—according to capacity and context.