Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7
यः कश्चिद्देवतानां च प्रगृह्णाति करोति च । तदर्थं यजनं होमं दानं वा पृथिवीतले । स च वध्यश्च युष्माभिर्मम वाक्यादसंशयम्
yaḥ kaściddevatānāṃ ca pragṛhṇāti karoti ca | tadarthaṃ yajanaṃ homaṃ dānaṃ vā pṛthivītale | sa ca vadhyaśca yuṣmābhirmama vākyādasaṃśayam
„Wer auch immer unter den Sterblichen die Götter unterstützt oder um ihretwillen handelt – indem er Opfer darbringt, Gaben spendet oder Wohltätigkeit auf der Erde übt –, muss sicherlich gemäß meinem Befehl von euch getötet werden, ohne Zweifel.“
Dānava leader (commanding his agents; exact name not in snippet)
Scene: A Dānava issues a harsh decree: anyone performing yajña, homa, or dāna for the gods must be killed. The scene contrasts sacred fire and charity with looming armed shadows.
FAQs
Yajña, homa, and dāna are central markers of dharma; the Purāṇic narrative highlights that such acts attract both merit and opposition, yet remain righteous.
The surrounding chapter’s sacred-geography focus points toward Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra as the setting where dharma is defended.
The verse explicitly names yajana (sacrificial worship), homa (fire oblations), and dāna (charity) as god-oriented acts.