Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46
लज्जादाक्षिण्यलोभाच्च यद्दानं चोपरोधजम् । भृत्येभ्यश्च तु यद्दानं तद्वृथा निष्फलं भवेत्
lajjādākṣiṇyalobhācca yaddānaṃ coparodhajam | bhṛtyebhyaśca tu yaddānaṃ tadvṛthā niṣphalaṃ bhavet
Le don offert par honte, par simple complaisance, par avidité ou sous contrainte—et de même le don fait aux serviteurs comme offrande imposée—devient vain et sans fruit.
Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate context of dialogue in Revā Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Revā tīrtha (contextual)
Type: river
Listener: null
Scene: A donor’s mind is shown in four symbolic panels: embarrassment (averted face), politeness (forced smile), greed (clutching coins), compulsion (hand pushed forward); the final central image contrasts with serene, heartfelt giving to a worthy recipient on a riverbank.
FAQs
The inner motive determines the spiritual fruit of charity; coerced or ego-driven giving yields no merit.
No single site is praised; the verse gives universal dharma guidance within the Revā Khaṇḍa context.
Give dāna freely and sincerely; avoid gifts driven by compulsion, shame, or greed.