Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
दाता प्रतिग्रहीता च वचनं हि परस्परम् । मन्यतेऽधःकरो यस्य सोऽल्पबुद्धिः प्रहीयते
dātā pratigrahītā ca vacanaṃ hi parasparam | manyate'dhaḥkaro yasya so'lpabuddhiḥ prahīyate
Le donateur et le receveur se parlent l’un à l’autre dans une dépendance réciproque ; mais celui qui tient l’autre pour « inférieur » est d’esprit étroit et déchoit de la juste compréhension.
Hārīta
Listener: dhīmat (wise interlocutor)
Scene: Two figures—donor and recipient—face each other with balanced posture; a third figure (sage) instructs them. One figure’s arrogant stance is contrasted with the ideal of mutual respect.
FAQs
Charity must be grounded in humility; contempt in giving or receiving destroys wisdom.
None is named; the verse teaches social and moral dharma.
An ethical rule for dāna: maintain mutual respect; do not demean the counterpart.