Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43
महादानानि ये विप्रा गृह्णन्ति ज्ञानदुर्बलाः । वृक्षास्ते द्विजरूपेण जायंते ब्रह्मराक्षसाः
mahādānāni ye viprā gṛhṇanti jñānadurbalāḥ | vṛkṣāste dvijarūpeṇa jāyaṃte brahmarākṣasāḥ
Ces brahmanes qui, faibles en la vraie connaissance, acceptent de grands dons, deviennent des brahmarākṣasas et renaissent sous forme d’arbres qui, sous l’apparence d’un dvija, semblent « deux fois nés ».
Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cautionary tableau: learned-looking but spiritually weak brāhmaṇas accept lavish gifts; the karmic consequence is shown symbolically as tree-like beings with ‘dvija’ marks—brahmarākṣasas bound to a vegetal form.
FAQs
Charity must be matched by worthiness and discernment; improper acceptance of major gifts leads to grave karmic downfall.
The admonition is delivered within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya’s pilgrimage-ethics context.
An ethical rule: mahā-dāna should not be accepted without requisite knowledge and qualification (adhikāra).