Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
नार्थिनः प्रार्थितैरर्थैः कृतार्था हि मया कृताः । देहिदेहीति जल्पाको भविष्याम्यन्यजन्मनि
nārthinaḥ prārthitairarthaiḥ kṛtārthā hi mayā kṛtāḥ | dehidehīti jalpāko bhaviṣyāmyanyajanmani
Aku tidak membuat para peminta yang membutuhkan menjadi puas dengan apa yang mereka mohon. Maka pada kelahiran lain aku akan menjadi orang yang terus meratap, “Berilah, berilah!”
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya; karmic warning in first-person)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A wealthy householder turns away a supplicant; the scene dissolves into a future-life vision where the same person, now poor, pleads ‘dehi dehi’ at a doorway—set against Kāśī’s lanes and ghats.
FAQs
Withholding help from those in need rebounds as future dependence; generosity safeguards dignity across births.
The verse is part of Kāśī-kṣetra instruction, emphasizing dharma suitable for pilgrims and householders in the sacred city.
A moral prescription: satisfy supplicants with requested aid; it functions as dāna-dharma rather than a formal ritual.