Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57
धनिनं धनलोभेन लोभयित्वार्थमाहरेत् । तदर्थदानमित्याहुः कामदानमतः श्रृणु
dhaninaṃ dhanalobhena lobhayitvārthamāharet | tadarthadānamityāhuḥ kāmadānamataḥ śrṛṇu
செல்வத்தின் ஆசையைத் தூண்டி செல்வவானை மயக்கி அவனிடமிருந்து பொருள்/வளத்தைப் பெறுவது ‘அர்த்ததானம்’ எனப்படுகிறது; இனி ‘காமதானம்’ கேள்।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)
Scene: A persuasive intermediary flatters a rich patron’s pride/greed to extract funds; the patron’s face shows vanity; in contrast, a dharmic figure observes with disapproval, indicating moral tension.
FAQs
Not all giving is spiritually equal; charity can be driven by profit-seeking and persuasion rather than pure dharma.
None; the verse is ethical analysis of motives behind giving.
A conceptual instruction: identify and distinguish gain-based giving (artha-dāna) from other forms.