Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65
असत्यसंधो निद्रालुर्दातायं तामसोऽधमः । त्रिशुक्लः कृशवृत्तिश्च घृणालुः सकलेंद्रियः
asatyasaṃdho nidrālurdātāyaṃ tāmaso'dhamaḥ | triśuklaḥ kṛśavṛttiśca ghṛṇāluḥ sakaleṃdriyaḥ
A donor bound to falsehood, drowsy with sleep and sunk in tamas is counted as base. Such a person—though outwardly ‘pure’ in three ways—lives meanly, is cruel, and is driven by the senses.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A donor with outward marks of purity (clean clothes, ritual marks) but shadowed by symbols of tamas—heavy eyelids, dark aura, grasping hands—contrasted with a compassionate ascetic; a dharma scale tilts against hypocrisy.
FAQs
Outward purity cannot replace truthfulness, self-control, and sincerity; tamasic traits diminish the dignity of giving.
No tīrtha is specified; the focus is on moral classification of the donor.
None directly; it warns against qualities that corrupt the spiritual value of dāna.