Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 166
महाकाल उवाच । पुरा किल प्रदत्तानि भूमेर्दानानि भूरिशः । प्रत्यगृह्णन्त दैत्याश्च प्रविश्याभ्यंतरं बलात्
mahākāla uvāca | purā kila pradattāni bhūmerdānāni bhūriśaḥ | pratyagṛhṇanta daityāśca praviśyābhyaṃtaraṃ balāt
Mahākāla berkata: “Pada zaman dahulu, wahai Raja yang perkasa, anugerah tanah telah berkali-kali diberikan; namun para Daitya merampasnya kembali dengan paksa, menerobos masuk ke dalam lingkup upacara.”
Mahākāla
Listener: King (nṛpa)
Scene: A dramatic flashback: daityas forcefully crossing a ritual boundary and reclaiming land-gifts; Mahākāla narrates to the king, indicating the need for ritual protection.
FAQs
Dāna must be protected by correct ritual order; otherwise disruptive forces can ‘steal’ its intended merit.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse begins an origin-story explaining ritual safeguards.
An etiological setup: because daityas once interfered with gifts, protective ritual measures (explained next) are instituted.