Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 80
प्राग्जन्मार्जितपापौघैः पीडितायाश्चिरं मम । आहारमात्रदानेन दयां कुरुत भो जनाः
prāgjanmārjitapāpaughaiḥ pīḍitāyāściraṃ mama | āhāramātradānena dayāṃ kuruta bho janāḥ
پچھلے جنموں کے گناہوں کے سبب میں طویل عرصے سے دکھی ہوں۔ اے لوگو، صرف تھوڑا کھانا دے کر مجھ پر رحم کرو۔
Caṇḍālī (the begging woman) (deduced from first-person plea)
Scene: An aged, destitute supplicant with folded hands addresses passersby, asking only a little food; the contrast between inner suffering (pāpa-bhāra) and outer simplicity (small alms) is emphasized.
FAQs
A small act of mercy—especially food-giving—becomes a powerful expression of dharma amid the realities of karma and suffering.
The wider Gokarṇa-kṣetra episode frames the plea, though the verse itself focuses on dāna and compassion.
Āhāra-dāna/anna-dāna: giving food, even in a small quantity, to one who begs.