Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8
पश्चात्पूर्णे ततः काले मर्त्यलोके प्रजायते । अन्नदानप्रदो नित्यं जीवेद्वर्षशतं नरः
paścātpūrṇe tataḥ kāle martyaloke prajāyate | annadānaprado nityaṃ jīvedvarṣaśataṃ naraḥ
नियत काळ पूर्ण झाल्यावर तो पुन्हा मर्त्यलोकी जन्म घेतो। अन्नदानात सदैव तत्पर असा तो नर शंभर वर्षे जगतो।
Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual continuation)
Listener: Mahīpāla (king)
Scene: A pious householder at a riverside rest-house distributes steaming food to pilgrims and ascetics; in the background the Revā flows, suggesting merit leading to a renewed birth and full lifespan.
FAQs
Merit ripens both beyond death and within human life—charity, especially food-giving, supports auspicious rebirth and longevity.
The Varuṇeśvara tīrtha setting remains the implied sacred context.
Nitya anna-dāna—regular/continual giving of food—is praised as a sustaining dharma with tangible life-benefits.