Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18
दानहानिर्गजेष्वेव द्रुमेष्वेव हि कंटकाः । जनेष्वेव विहारा हि न कस्यचिदुरःस्थली
dānahānirgajeṣveva drumeṣveva hi kaṃṭakāḥ | janeṣveva vihārā hi na kasyaciduraḥsthalī
Nessa terra, a perda do dāna parece ver-se apenas nos elefantes, e os espinhos apenas nas árvores; a busca de prazeres encontra-se só entre os homens, e o peito de ninguém é morada de coragem ou compaixão—tal país carece do perfume do dharma.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A contrast scene: in the ‘degraded land,’ people lounge in indulgence while no one steps forward to help; elephants symbolically ‘lose dāna’ (a pun on rut/temple-gift imagery) and trees alone bear thorns. In Kāśī, devotees distribute food at a ghāṭa under Annapūrṇā’s blessing, with compassionate faces and upright posture.
FAQs
A dharmic land is recognized by generosity, courage, and compassionate hearts; indulgence without virtue marks decline.
Kāśī is praised implicitly as a place where dāna and dharma thrive, contrasted with lands lacking noble-hearted people.
Dāna is highlighted as a core dharmic marker (though not given as a step-by-step rite here), aligning with Kāśī pilgrimage practices of charity and offerings.