Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 166
महाकाल उवाच । पुरा किल प्रदत्तानि भूमेर्दानानि भूरिशः । प्रत्यगृह्णन्त दैत्याश्च प्रविश्याभ्यंतरं बलात्
mahākāla uvāca | purā kila pradattāni bhūmerdānāni bhūriśaḥ | pratyagṛhṇanta daityāśca praviśyābhyaṃtaraṃ balāt
Mahākāla phán: “Thuở xưa, hỡi bậc vương giả hùng mạnh, những phần đất đã được bố thí lại bị bọn Daitya xông vào phạm vi nghi lễ, dùng sức mạnh mà cưỡng đoạt lấy lại.”
Mahākāla
Listener: King (nṛpa)
Scene: A dramatic flashback: daityas forcefully crossing a ritual boundary and reclaiming land-gifts; Mahākāla narrates to the king, indicating the need for ritual protection.
FAQs
Dāna must be protected by correct ritual order; otherwise disruptive forces can ‘steal’ its intended merit.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse begins an origin-story explaining ritual safeguards.
An etiological setup: because daityas once interfered with gifts, protective ritual measures (explained next) are instituted.