Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 109
मा च चाटु भटे देहि मैव देहि पुरोहिते । मा च काणे विरूपे च न्यूनाङ्गे न च देवले
mā ca cāṭu bhaṭe dehi maiva dehi purohite | mā ca kāṇe virūpe ca nyūnāṅge na ca devale
Saat memberi dana, jangan berikan kepada penjilat atau prajurit upahan; jangan pula kepada purohita yang hanya menjalankan upacara semata. Jangan berikan kepada yang bermata satu, cacat rupa, anggota tubuh kurang, dan juga kepada ‘devala’ yang melayani kuil demi nafkah.
Narratorial voice continuing the ritual instruction (exact speaker not in snippet)
Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (Revā-khaṇḍa frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhārata (addressed in nearby verses; didactic addressee)
Scene: A donor pauses before offering a ritual gift, while elders enumerate unfit recipients—flatterer, mercenary, merely officiating priest, and those marked by deformity or temple-wage service—emphasizing discernment over haste.
FAQs
Dāna is not only about giving, but giving rightly—purāṇic dharma stresses the worthiness and integrity of the recipient to preserve the gift’s spiritual efficacy.
No site is named; the verse belongs to Revā Khaṇḍa’s instruction on the proper performance of the purificatory gift.
Dāna-vidhi: disqualifications for recipients of the donation (dāna-pātra-niyama).