Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 38
अभिगम्योत्तमं दानं यच्च दानमयाचितम् । भविष्यति युगस्यान्तस्तस्यान्तो नैव विद्यते
abhigamyottamaṃ dānaṃ yacca dānamayācitam | bhaviṣyati yugasyāntastasyānto naiva vidyate
Le don offert en s’approchant soi-même du bénéficiaire est le plus excellent; et le don accordé sans qu’on le demande est aussi hautement loué. Quand bien même l’âge (yuga) s’achèverait, on ne trouve pas la fin de ce mérite.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha
Type: river
Listener: Pilgrimage audience/ṛṣis (frame listeners)
Scene: A pilgrim on the Revā bank approaches a humble, worthy recipient with folded hands and offers food/cloth without being asked; behind them the river glows, suggesting ‘akṣaya’ continuity beyond time.
FAQs
Unsolicited and proactive charity is especially meritorious, and its spiritual fruit is described as enduring beyond cosmic cycles.
No particular tīrtha is named; the verse is a general teaching on the greatness of dāna.
Prefer giving that is proactive (abhigamya) and unasked (ayācita), emphasizing the giver’s initiative and purity of intent.