Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 59
ये प्रयच्छन्ति कृतिनो ग्रस्ते सूर्ये निशाकरे । तेषां संख्यां न जानामि पुण्यस्याब्दशातैरपि
ye prayacchanti kṛtino graste sūrye niśākare | teṣāṃ saṃkhyāṃ na jānāmi puṇyasyābdaśātairapi
De ces êtres heureux et vertueux qui donnent en aumône lorsque le soleil ou la lune est éclipsé, je ne puis connaître la mesure du mérite, fût-ce en des centaines d’années.
Narrator addressing the King (contextual)
Tirtha: Grahaṇa-parva at Revā (contextual)
Type: ghat
Listener: Narādhipa (king)
Scene: A dramatic eclipse over a sacred river: the sun partially obscured, twilight hue. Devotees stand in disciplined rows offering gifts to brāhmaṇas; lamps flicker; the atmosphere is charged and hushed, as if time pauses.
FAQs
Sacred timing amplifies charity; eclipse-time giving is praised as immeasurably meritorious.
The Revā Khaṇḍa context; the verse emphasizes the power of grahaṇa-kāla rather than a single location.
Perform dāna during a solar or lunar eclipse for extraordinary spiritual merit.