Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 65
असत्यसंधो निद्रालुर्दातायं तामसोऽधमः । त्रिशुक्लः कृशवृत्तिश्च घृणालुः सकलेंद्रियः
asatyasaṃdho nidrālurdātāyaṃ tāmaso'dhamaḥ | triśuklaḥ kṛśavṛttiśca ghṛṇāluḥ sakaleṃdriyaḥ
असत्यसन्धो निद्रालुर्दाता तामसोऽधमः स्मृतः। त्रिशुक्लोऽपि कृशवृत्तिः, घृणालुः, सकलेन्द्रियपरायणश्च सः।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: A donor with outward marks of purity (clean clothes, ritual marks) but shadowed by symbols of tamas—heavy eyelids, dark aura, grasping hands—contrasted with a compassionate ascetic; a dharma scale tilts against hypocrisy.
FAQs
Outward purity cannot replace truthfulness, self-control, and sincerity; tamasic traits diminish the dignity of giving.
No tīrtha is specified; the focus is on moral classification of the donor.
None directly; it warns against qualities that corrupt the spiritual value of dāna.