Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20
धनिनां दानहीनानां गार्हस्थ्याद्भिक्षुता वरा । आर्तत्राणविहीनानां जीवितान्मरणं वरम्
dhanināṃ dānahīnānāṃ gārhasthyādbhikṣutā varā | ārtatrāṇavihīnānāṃ jīvitānmaraṇaṃ varam
Với kẻ giàu mà không bố thí, thà đi khất thực còn hơn sống đời gia chủ. Với kẻ không cứu người khốn khổ, thà chết còn hơn sống.
A moral voice within the narrative (continuing admonition)
Scene: A wealthy householder sits amid granaries and ornaments while a hungry mendicant and a distressed family stand outside; the verse’s moral inversion is shown by the mendicant’s serene radiance contrasted with the miser’s dim aura.
FAQs
Wealth and life are justified by dharmic use—charity and rescue; without these, one’s social role becomes meaningless.
No tīrtha is referenced.
Dāna (charitable giving) is implicitly prescribed as the dharmic duty of the wealthy.