Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7
आरूढपतिते चैव अन्यायोपार्जितं धनम् । वृथा ब्रह्महने दानं पतिते तस्करे तथा
ārūḍhapatite caiva anyāyopārjitaṃ dhanam | vṛthā brahmahane dānaṃ patite taskare tathā
La charité devient sans fruit lorsqu’elle est donnée à celui qui est tombé de la conduite droite, et la richesse acquise par l’injustice est elle-même souillée. De même, un don offert à un meurtrier de brāhmaṇa—ou à un voleur déchu—ne porte aucun mérite sacré.
Deductive (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa reporting a teaching)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A moral tableau: on one side, a donor offers coins to a fallen man and the coins turn dark; on the other, a righteous recipient receives pure gifts that glow. A judge-like figure symbolizes nyāya, while Prabhāsa’s shrine anchors the scene.
FAQs
Dāna must be pure in both source (rightly earned wealth) and recipient; otherwise it becomes spiritually ineffective.
The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, linking ethical dāna to the sacred landscape of Prabhāsa.
A restriction on dāna: avoid giving to gravely sinful or fallen recipients and avoid donating wealth acquired by injustice.