Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5
शबलं प्रोच्यते सद्भिर्द्यूतचौर्येण साहसैः । व्याजेनोपार्जितं यच्च तत्कृष्णं समुदाहृतम्
śabalaṃ procyate sadbhirdyūtacauryeṇa sāhasaiḥ | vyājenopārjitaṃ yacca tatkṛṣṇaṃ samudāhṛtam
सज्जन लोग जुए, चोरी और साहसिक/हिंसक कर्मों से प्राप्त धन को ‘शबल’ (मिश्र) कहते हैं। पर जो धन छल-कपट और बहानेबाज़ी से कमाया जाए, वह ‘कृष्ण’ (अशुद्ध) घोषित है।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: A cautionary allegory: on one side, gamblers and thieves in shadowy tones; on the other, a figure offering a darkened coin-bag to a shrine while a sage raises a hand in prohibition; ‘black smoke’ symbolism around deceitful wealth.
FAQs
Not all wealth is spiritually equivalent; deceitful and harmful earnings degrade one’s religious acts and lead to darker karmic results.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse gives a universal ethical classification relevant to Purāṇic dharma.
It warns that dāna supported by fraud, theft, or gambling is spiritually compromised, and fraudulent gain is outright ‘black’ (kṛṣṇa).