Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
प्रतिग्रहे समर्था हि ये प्रतिग्रहवर्जिताः । त एते मत्प्रिया विप्रास्त्यक्ततीर्थ प्रतिग्रहाः
pratigrahe samarthā hi ye pratigrahavarjitāḥ | ta ete matpriyā viprāstyaktatīrtha pratigrahāḥ
اگرچہ وہ ہدیہ قبول کرنے کی قدرت رکھتے ہوں، پھر بھی جو برہمن ہدیہ لینے سے پرہیز کریں—خصوصاً تیرتھ کی روزی کے طور پر تحفہ لینے کو ترک کر کے—وہی مجھے محبوب ہیں۔
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame; not explicit in verse)
Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa at a ghat politely declining offered coins while blessing the donor; nearby, pilgrims perform simple worship without ostentation; the scene emphasizes dignity, restraint, and non-transactional sanctity.
FAQs
Integrity and non-exploitation of sacred places—refusing gifts despite eligibility—is praised as beloved to the divine.
No single tīrtha is named; the verse addresses ethical conduct related to tīrthas in general.
A moral prescription: avoid pratigraha (gift-acceptance), especially as a livelihood connected to pilgrimage.