Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6
यः श्राद्धे अभयं दद्यात्प्राणिनां जीवितैषिणाम् । अश्वदानसहस्रेण रथदानशतेन च । दन्तिनां च सहस्रेण अभयं च विशिष्यते
yaḥ śrāddhe abhayaṃ dadyātprāṇināṃ jīvitaiṣiṇām | aśvadānasahasreṇa rathadānaśatena ca | dantināṃ ca sahasreṇa abhayaṃ ca viśiṣyate
जो श्राद्ध के समय जीवन चाहने वाले प्राणियों को अभय-दान देता है, उसका यह रक्षण-दान श्रेष्ठ है—हज़ार अश्वदान, सौ रथदान और हज़ार गजदान से भी बढ़कर।
Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration style within Skanda Purāṇa)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A śrāddha setting in Prabhāsa: a householder offers water and piṇḍa, while simultaneously granting ‘abhaya’—releasing a bound animal or protecting frightened beings; in the background, symbolic royal gifts (horses, chariots, elephants) appear diminished compared to the radiant aura of protection.
FAQs
Non-violence and protection—granting safety to beings—is portrayed as a charity greater than lavish material donations.
The instruction belongs to Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s māhātmya, where śrāddha ethics and merits are magnified.
Abhaya-dāna in connection with śrāddha: ensuring living beings are unharmed and secure.
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