Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 91
वापीकूपतडागानां वृक्षविद्यासुरौकसाम् । मठप्रपागृहक्षेत्रदानमुत्सर्ग इत्यसौ
vāpīkūpataḍāgānāṃ vṛkṣavidyāsuraukasām | maṭhaprapāgṛhakṣetradānamutsarga ityasau
Le fait d’offrir en fondation des puits, des réservoirs et des étangs, des arbres, des lieux d’étude et des demeures divines ; ainsi que des monastères, des maisons d’eau, des abris et des terres : voilà ce qu’on nomme « utsarga ».
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta)
Listener: dvija/brāhmaṇa (addressed as ‘O brāhmaṇa’)
Scene: A donor ceremonially dedicates a stepwell and a shaded rest-house near a temple; brāhmaṇas recite blessings; travelers draw water; saplings are planted; a small pāṭhaśālā hums with recitation.
FAQs
The highest charity includes public-benefit works—water resources, shelters, temples, learning, and land—sustaining pilgrims and society.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse describes the kinds of endowments that enhance tīrthas and sacred routes everywhere.
Perform utsarga by endowing durable, public-serving resources such as wells, ponds, prapās, maṭhas, temples, and land.