Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11
दीनांधकृपणानां च पथिश्रममुपेयुषाम् । तीर्थयात्रापराणां च यो यच्छति सदाऽशनम् । काले वा यदि वाऽकाले नरकं न स पश्यति
dīnāṃdhakṛpaṇānāṃ ca pathiśramamupeyuṣām | tīrthayātrāparāṇāṃ ca yo yacchati sadā'śanam | kāle vā yadi vā'kāle narakaṃ na sa paśyati
जो दीन, अंध, कृपण, मार्गाने थकलेले आणि तीर्थयात्रेत तत्पर यात्रेकरूंना नेहमी—वेळी किंवा अवेळीही—अन्नदान करतो, तो नरक पाहात नाही।
Bhīṣma
Scene: A pilgrim road near a tīrtha: weary travelers with staffs and waterpots are welcomed; a householder distributes steaming food to the poor, blind, and destitute; the act is shown as a protective merit against hell.
FAQs
Anna-dāna and compassionate service—especially to pilgrims and the vulnerable—are exalted as direct causes of spiritual uplift and protection from hell.
No single site is specified; the verse glorifies tīrtha-yātrā culture itself and service to pilgrims.
Regular giving of food (anna-dāna) to the needy, travelers, and tīrtha-pilgrims, regardless of time.