Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50
अधीत्यवेदान्वेदौ वा वेदं वा शक्तितो द्विजः । सुवर्णपूर्ण धरणी दानस्य फलमश्नुते
adhītyavedānvedau vā vedaṃ vā śaktito dvijaḥ | suvarṇapūrṇa dharaṇī dānasya phalamaśnute
Seorang dvija (dua kali lahir) yang menurut kemampuannya mempelajari Veda—sama ada semuanya, atau dua, atau bahkan satu Veda—meraih pahala seumpama menderma seluruh bumi yang dipenuhi emas.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A Veda-student (dvija) seated with palm-leaf manuscripts, teacher nearby, Gaṅgā and Kāśī temples behind; a symbolic vision shows the earth as a golden sphere offered in dāna, indicating equivalence of merit.
FAQs
Vedic study (svādhyāya) is treated as an immense inner sacrifice, equated with the highest forms of charity.
Within Kāśī Khaṇḍa, the teaching supports Kāśī’s identity as a dharma-kṣetra where svādhyāya and merit flourish.
It prescribes Veda-adhyayana according to one’s capacity and states its fruit as equivalent to extraordinary dāna.