Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 8
प्रदाने च वितानस्य तथा धारागृहस्य च । दीपदाने किं फलं स्यात्पूजायां किं फलं भवेत्
pradāne ca vitānasya tathā dhārāgṛhasya ca | dīpadāne kiṃ phalaṃ syātpūjāyāṃ kiṃ phalaṃ bhavet
Et quel mérite y a-t-il à offrir un dais (vitāna), ainsi qu’un pavillon d’écoulement d’eau (dhārāgṛha) ? Quel fruit vient du don de lampes (dīpa-dāna), et quel fruit naît de l’adoration elle-même ?
Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)
Tirtha: Kedāra
Type: kshetra
Listener: A Śaiva-knowing sage (contextually the forthcoming speaker’s authority is invoked)
Scene: Himalayan Kedāra: ascetics ask about merits of canopy-donation, water-shed construction, lamp-offering, and pūjā before Śiva; a temple lamp glows against snowy peaks while pilgrims drink from a dhārāgṛha spout.
FAQs
Devotion expresses itself through both direct worship and supportive acts that serve pilgrims and sacred spaces, each bearing merit.
Kedārakhaṇḍa’s context ties these offerings to the Kedāra pilgrimage region and Śiva shrines.
Donations of vitāna (canopy), dhārāgṛha (water facility), and dīpa-dāna (lamp offering), along with pūjā (worship).