Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44
अपूपश्च हिरण्यं च गामश्वं पृथिवीं तिलान् । अविद्वान्प्रतिगृह्णाति भस्मीभवति काष्ठवत्
apūpaśca hiraṇyaṃ ca gāmaśvaṃ pṛthivīṃ tilān | avidvānpratigṛhṇāti bhasmībhavati kāṣṭhavat
जो अज्ञानी पुरुष अपूप, सुवर्ण, गाय, घोडा, जमीन किंवा तिळ दान म्हणून स्वीकारतो, तो लाकडासारखा भस्म होतो।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative context
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A ritual gifting scene: a donor offers cakes, gold, cow, horse, land deed, and sesame; the unqualified recipient is shown metaphorically turning to ash like dry wood—an allegorical overlay rather than literal violence.
FAQs
Dāna is sacred and must be received only by the qualified; unfitness and greed in receiving gifts destroys spiritual merit.
Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a place where dharma is taught in practical detail.
Guidance on pratigraha (accepting gifts): valuable ritual gifts—food, gold, cattle, horses, land, sesame—should not be accepted by the unqualified.