Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35
केशभारपरिभ्रष्टा काचिदेवासनोत्थिता । दातुकामा तदा भैक्ष्यं चेष्टितुं नैव चाशकत्
keśabhāraparibhraṣṭā kācidevāsanotthitā | dātukāmā tadā bhaikṣyaṃ ceṣṭituṃ naiva cāśakat
L’une d’elles, la chevelure éparse et défaite, se leva de son siège ; bien qu’elle voulût donner l’aumône, elle ne put alors même pas agir comme il faut pour offrir la nourriture au mendiant.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Tirtha: Dāruvana (narrative-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata
Scene: A woman rises abruptly, hair loosened, trying to offer bhikṣā to the mendicant; her hands falter mid-gesture, body tense with agitation; the mendicant remains tranquil, bowl extended.
FAQs
Good intentions (like dāna) fail when the mind is overpowered; purity of intention must be joined with steadiness and self-control.
The scene belongs to Daruvana within the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative arc.
The act of giving bhikṣā (alms/food to a mendicant) is referenced, though not formally prescribed as a rule in this verse.