Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10
वेदाध्ययनयुक्तानां निर्दोषाणां च पार्थिव । विभज्य स भवेद्देयो नैकस्य च कथंचन
vedādhyayanayuktānāṃ nirdoṣāṇāṃ ca pārthiva | vibhajya sa bhaveddeyo naikasya ca kathaṃcana
Wahai Raja, pemberian itu hendaklah diberikan hanya kepada mereka yang tekun dalam pengajian Veda dan bebas daripada cela; dan ia mesti diagihkan kepada ramai—jangan sekali-kali diberikan kepada seorang sahaja.”
Bhartṛyajña
Type: kshetra
Listener: King (pārthiva)
Scene: A kingly patron (pārthiva) overseeing orderly distribution of gifts to multiple Veda-reciting Brāhmaṇas; palm-leaf texts visible; the act is calm, just, and communal.
FAQs
Dāna must be guided by discernment: give to worthy recipients and distribute fairly rather than concentrating wealth in one hand.
The instruction is part of a tīrtha-centered discourse but is a general dharmic rule applicable at sacred places.
Give to faultless Veda-students and distribute the donation among multiple qualified recipients, not a single individual.