Skandapurana 6.3.50

6.3.50.p1

adhyāya 50

6.3.50.1

uttānapāda uvāca -
dvijāśca kīdṛśāḥ pūjyā apūjyāḥ kīdṛśāḥ smṛtāḥ .
śrāddhe vaivāhike kārye dāne caiva viśeṣataḥ .. 50.1 ..

Uttānapāda said: / What kind of twice-born are worthy of worship, and what kind are remembered as unworthy of worship, / in ancestral rites, in marital rites, and especially in giving?

6.3.50.2

yadi śraddhā bhaveddaivayogācchrāddhādike vidhau .
etadākhyāhi me deva kasya dānaṃ na dīyate .. 50.2 ..

If faith should arise through destiny in the rites of śrāddha and the like, / tell me this, O God: to whom should a gift not be given?

6.3.50.3

īśvara uvāca -
yathā kāṣṭhamayo hastī yathā carmamayo mṛgaḥ .
brāhmaṇaścānadhīyānastrayaste nāmadhārakāḥ .. 50.3 ..

Īśvara said: / Just as a wooden elephant, just as a leather deer, / so is an unlearned brahmin: these three are bearers of the name only.

6.3.50.4

yathā ṣaṇḍho'phalaḥ strīṣu yathā gaurgavi cāphalā .
yathā cājñe'phalaṃ dānaṃ tathā vipro'nṛco'phalaḥ .. 50.4 ..

Just as a eunuch is fruitless among women, just as a cow with a cow is fruitless, / and just as a gift given to an ignorant man is fruitless, so a brahmin devoid of the Ṛgveda is fruitless.

6.3.50.5

yathā'nṛṇe bījamuptvā vaptā na labhate phalam .
tathānṛce havirdattvā na dātā labhate phalam .. 50.5 ..

Just as a sower who sows seed in barren ground obtains no fruit, / so the giver who offers an oblation to one ignorant of the Ṛgveda obtains no fruit.

6.3.50.6

rogī hīnātiriktāṅgaḥ kāṇaḥ paunarbhavastathā .
avakīrṇī śyāvadantaḥ sarvāśī vṛṣalīpatiḥ .. 50.6 ..

One who is diseased, missing or having redundant limbs, one-eyed, born of a remarried woman, / a vow-breaker, one with dark teeth, an indiscriminate eater, the husband of a śūdra woman,

6.3.50.7

mitradhrukpiśunaḥ somavikrayī paranindakaḥ .
pitṛmātṛgurutyāgī nityaṃ brāhmaṇanindakaḥ .. 50.7 ..

a betrayer of friends, a slanderer, a seller of soma, a vilifier of others, / an abandoner of mother, father, and teacher, one who constantly reviles brahmins,

6.3.50.8

śūdrānnaṃ mantrasaṃyuktaṃ yo vipro bhakṣayennṛpa .
so'spṛśyaḥ karmacāṇḍālaḥ spṛṣṭvā snānaṃ samācaret .. 50.8 ..

the brahmin who eats food from a śūdra accompanied by mantras, O king, / is untouchable, an outcaste by deed; having touched him, one must bathe.

6.3.50.9

kunakhī vṛṣalī steyī vārddhuṣyaḥ kuṇḍagolakau .
mahādānarato yaśca yaścātmahanane rataḥ .. 50.9 ..

One with diseased nails, a śūdra woman’s husband, a thief, a usurer, sons born of adultery or widowhood, / one intent on receiving great gifts, and one intent on suicide,

6.3.50.10

bhṛtakādhyāpakaḥ klībaḥ kanyādūṣyabhiśastakaḥ .
ete viprāḥ sadā tyājyāḥ paribhāvya prayatnataḥ .. 50.10 ..

a hired teacher, an impotent man, a defiler of maidens, one falsely or truly accused— / these brahmins should always be avoided with careful consideration.

6.3.50.11

pratigrahaṃ gṛhītvā tu vāṇijyaṃ yastu kārayet .
tasya dānaṃ na dātavyaṃ vṛthā bhavati tasya tat .. 50.11 ..

He who takes gifts and engages in trade, / to him no gift must be given; that [gift] becomes useless to him.

6.3.50.12

śrutādhyayanasampannā ye dvijā vṛttatatparāḥ .
teṣāṃ yaddīyate dānaṃ sarvamakṣayatāṃ vrajet .. 50.12 ..

The twice-born who are endowed with learning and study of scripture, devoted to right conduct, / whatever gift is given to them, all becomes imperishable.

6.3.50.13

daridrānbhara bhūpāla mā samṛddhān kadācana .
vyādhitasyauṣadhaṃ pathyaṃ nīrujasya kimauṣadhaiḥ .. 50.13 ..

Support the poor, O ruler of the earth, never the affluent; / medicine is beneficial to the diseased: what use is medicine to the healthy?

6.3.50.14

uttānapāda uvāca -
kīdṛśo'tha vidhistatra tīrthaśrāddhasya kā kriyā .
dānaṃ ca dīyate yadvattanmamākhyāhi śaṅkara .. 50.14 ..

Uttānapāda said: / What is the proper rule there, and what is the rite for a śrāddha at a sacred ford? / And how is a gift given? Tell me that, O Śaṅkara.

6.3.50.15

īśvara uvāca -
śrāddhaṃ kṛtvā gṛhe bhaktyā śuciścāpi jitendriyaḥ .
guruṃ pradakṣiṇīkṛtya bhojya sīmāntake tataḥ .. 50.15 ..

Īśvara said: / Having performed a śrāddha at home with devotion, pure and with subdued senses, / having circumambulated the teacher, and then having fed [him] at the boundary,

6.3.50.16

vāgyataḥ pravrajettāvadyāvatsīmāṃ na laṅghayet .
śūlabhedaṃ tato gatvā snānaṃ kuryādyathāvidhi .. 50.16 ..

one should proceed restrained in speech as long as one does not cross the boundary. / Then, having gone to Śūlabheda, one should perform the ritual ablution according to rule,

6.3.50.17

pañcasthāneṣu ca śrāddhaṃ havyakavyādibhiḥ kramāt .
piṇḍadānaṃ ca yaḥ kuryātpāyasairmadhusarpiṣā .. 50.17 ..

and perform a śrāddha in the five places with offerings to gods and ancestors in order. / And whoever performs the offering of rice-balls with milk-rice, honey, and clarified butter,

6.3.50.18

pitarastasya tṛpyanti dvādaśābdāni pañca ca .
akṣatairbadarairbilvairgudamadhusarpiṣā .. 50.18 ..

his ancestors are satisfied for five and twelve years. / With unbroken grains, jujubes, bilva leaves, jaggery, honey, and clarified butter,

6.3.50.19

sāpi tatphalamāpnoti tīrthe'sminnātra saṃśayaḥ .
upānahau ca yo dadyādbrāhmaṇebhyaḥ prayatnataḥ .. 50.19 ..

he too attains that fruit at this sacred ford, there is no doubt here. / And whoever gives shoes to brahmins with care,

6.3.50.20

so'pi svargamavāpnoti hayārūḍho na saṃśayaḥ .
śayyāmaśvaṃ ca yo dadyācchattrikāṃ vā viśeṣataḥ .. 50.20 ..

he too reaches heaven mounted upon a horse, without a doubt. / Whoever gives a bed and a horse, or especially a parasol,

6.3.50.21

gacchedvimānamārūḍhaḥ so'psarovṛndaveṣṭitaḥ .
uttamaṃ yo gṛhaṃ dadyātsaptadhānyasamanvitam .. 50.21 ..

mounted upon an aerial chariot, he goes surrounded by a multitude of apsarases. / Whoever gives an excellent house stocked with the seven grains,

6.3.50.22

svecchayā me vaselloke kāñcane bhavane hi saḥ .
tiladhenuṃ ca yo dadyātsavatsāṃ vastrasaṃplutām .. 50.22 ..

he will indeed dwell at his pleasure in my realm, in a palace of gold. / And whoever gives a sesame-cow, along with its calf, wrapped in cloth,

6.3.50.23

nākapṛṣṭhe vasettāvadyāvadābhūtasamplavam .
gṛhe vā yadi vāraṇye tīrthavartmani vā nṛpa .. 50.23 ..

shall dwell on the vault of heaven until the dissolution of all beings. / Whether at home, in the forest, or on the road to a sacred ford, O king,

6.3.50.24

toyamannaṃ ca yo dadyādyamalokaṃ sa nekṣate .
sarvadānāni dīyante teṣāṃ phalamavāpyate .. 50.24 ..

whoever gives water and food does not see the realm of Yama. / All gifts are given, [and] their fruit is attained;

6.3.50.25

udakaṃ cātra dānaṃ ca dadyādabhayameva ca .
annadānātparaṃ dānaṃ na bhūtaṃ na bhaviṣyati .. 50.25 ..

and here one should give water, a gift, and fearlessness indeed. / There has been no gift greater than the gift of food, nor will there be.

6.3.50.26

kanyādānaṃ tu yaḥ kuryādvṛṣaṃ vā yaḥ samutsṛjet .
tasya vāso bhavettatra yatrāhamiti nānyathā .. 50.26 ..

Moreover, he who gives away a maiden in marriage, or who releases a bull, / his dwelling shall be there where I am; it is not otherwise.

6.3.50.27

uttānapāda uvāca -
kanyādānaṃ kathaṃ svāmin kartavyaṃ dhārmikaiḥ sadā .
parigraho yathā poṣyaḥ kanyodvāhastathaiva ca .. 50.27 ..

Uttānapāda said: / How should the gift of a maiden always be performed by the righteous, O Lord? / Just as a wife is to be supported, so too is a daughter's wedding [to be conducted].

6.3.50.28

anyatpṛcchāmi deveśa kasya kanyā na dīyate .
dātavyaṃ kutra taddeva kasmai dattamathākṣayam .. 50.28 ..

I ask another thing, O Lord of the gods: To whom should a daughter not be given? / Where should that be given, O God? Given to whom does it become imperishable?

6.3.50.29

uttamaṃ madhyamaṃ vāpi kanīyaḥ syātkathaṃ vibho .
rājasaṃ tāmasaṃ vāpi niḥśreyasamathāpi vā .. 50.29 ..

How, O omnipresent Lord, would it be highest, middling, or lowest? / Or how [would it be] passionate, dark, or leading to the highest good?

6.3.50.30

īśvara uvāca -
sarveṣāmeva dānānāṃ kanyādānaṃ viśiṣyate .
yo dadyātparayā bhaktyābhigamya tanayāṃ nijām .. 50.30 ..

Īśvara said: / The gift of a maiden is indeed superior to all gifts. / He who gives his own daughter with supreme devotion, having approached [the groom]—

6.3.50.31

kulīnāya surūpāya guṇajñāya manīṣiṇe .
sulagne sumuhūrte ca dadyātkanyāmalaṃkṛtām .. 50.31 ..

to one of good family, handsome, discerning of virtues, and wise, / at an auspicious lagna and an auspicious muhūrta, should give the adorned maiden.

6.3.50.32

aśvānnā gāṃśca vāsāṃsi yo'tra dadyātsvaśaktitaḥ .
tasya vāso bhavettatra padaṃ yatra nirāmayam .. 50.32 ..

He who gives horses, elephants, cows, and garments here according to his capacity, / his dwelling will be there where the station is free from disease.

6.3.50.33

yenātra duhitā dattā prāṇebhyo'pi garīyasī .
tena sarvamidaṃ dattaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram .. 50.33 ..

By him by whom a daughter, dearer even than life-breaths, has been given here, / by him all this threefold world, with the moving and the unmoving, has been given.

6.3.50.34

yaḥ kanyārthaṃ tato labdhvā bhikṣate caiva taddhanam .
sa bhavetkarmacaṇḍālaḥ kāṣṭhakīlo bhavenmṛtaḥ .. 50.34 ..

He who, having received [a gift] for the sake of the maiden, then begs for that wealth [as a price], / he becomes an outcast by his deeds, and when dead, becomes a wooden stake.

6.3.50.35

gṛhe'pi tasya yo'śnīyājjihvālaulyātkathaṃcana .
cāndrāyaṇena śudhyeta taptakṛcchreṇa vā punaḥ .. 50.35 ..

Whoever, out of greed of the tongue, eats even in his house by any means, / would be purified by a cāndrāyaṇa penance or by a taptakṛcchra.

6.3.50.36

uttānapāda uvāca -
vittaṃ na vidyate yasya kanyaivāsti ca yadgṛhe .
kathaṃ codvāhanaṃ tasya na yāñcāṃ kurute yadi .. 50.36 ..

Uttānapāda said: / He who has no wealth, and in whose house there is only a daughter, / how can her marriage take place if he does not beg?

6.3.50.37

īśvara uvāca -
avitenaiva kartavyaṃ kanyodvahanakaṃ nṛpa .
kanyānāma samuccārya na doṣāya kadācana .. 50.37 ..

Īśvara said: / The marriage of a maiden must indeed be performed without wealth, O king. / Uttering the maiden's name [to request aid] is never a fault.

6.3.50.38

abhigamyottamaṃ dānaṃ yacca dānamayācitam .
bhaviṣyati yugasyāntastasyānto naiva vidyate .. 50.38 ..

The gift given after approaching [the recipient] is highest, and that gift which is unasked. / There will be an end of the cosmic age, but of that [gift's fruit] no end is found.

6.3.50.39

abhigamyottamaṃ dānaṃ smṛtamāhūya madhyamam .
yācyamānaṃ kanīyaḥ syāddehi dehīti cādhamam .. 50.39 ..

A gift given after approaching is taught to be highest; one given having summoned [the recipient] is middling; / one given when being asked would be inferior; and one given upon [repeated pleading], 'Give, give!' is lowest.

6.3.50.40

yathaivāśmāśmanābaddho nikṣipto vārimadhyataḥ .
dvāvetau nidhanaṃ yātastadvadannamapātrake .. 50.40 ..

Just as a stone bound to a stone and thrown into the middle of the water— / both of these go to destruction; likewise food [given] to an unworthy recipient.

6.3.50.41

asamarthe tato dānaṃ na pradeyaṃ kadācana .
dātāraṃ nayate'dhastādātmānaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ .. 50.41 ..

Therefore, a gift should never be given to one who is incapable [of digesting it]. / It drags the giver downward, and especially himself.

6.3.50.42

samarthastārayeddvau tu kāṣṭhaṃ śuṣkaṃ yathā jale .
yathā nauśca tathā vidvānprāpayedaparaṃ taṭam .. 50.42 ..

A capable person, however, can ferry both across, just as dry wood does in water. / And just as a boat [does], so a wise man can make [one] reach the other shore.

6.3.50.43

āhitāgniśca gṛhṇāti yaḥ śūdrāṇāṃ pratigraham .
iha janmani śūdro'sau mṛtaḥ śvā copajāyate .. 50.43 ..

And the agnihotrin who accepts a gift from śūdras / becomes a śūdra in this life, and when dead, is born as a dog.

6.3.50.44

vṛthā kleśaśca jāyeta brāhmaṇe hyagnihotriṇi .
asatpratigrahaṃ kurvanguptaṃ nīcasya garhitam .. 50.44 ..

And useless affliction arises for the brahmin, the agnihotrin, / who accepts an unworthy gift secretly from a low person, [a gift] that is censured.

6.3.50.45

abhojyaḥ sa bhavenmartyo dahyate kāriṣāgninā .
kaṭakāro bhavetpaścātsapta janma na saṃśayaḥ .. 50.45 ..

That mortal becomes one whose food cannot be eaten; he is burned with fire made of dried cow dung. / Afterward, he becomes a mat-maker for seven births, without doubt.

6.3.50.46

lajjādākṣiṇyalobhācca yaddānaṃ coparodhajam .
bhṛtyebhyaśca tu yaddānaṃ tadvṛthā niṣphalaṃ bhavet .. 50.46 ..

A gift given out of shame, courtesy, greed, or arising from coercion, / and a gift [given only] to servants—that becomes useless and devoid of fruit.

6.3.50.46_2

.. iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ pañcama āvantyakhaṇḍe revākhaṇḍe śūlabhedamāhātmye pātrāpātraparīkṣādānādiniyamavarṇanaṃ nāma pañcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ ..

Thus ends the fiftieth chapter, named 'Description of the Rules of Giving, Examination of Worthy and Unworthy Recipients, and So Forth,' in the Śūlabhedamāhātmya of the Revākhaṇḍa in the fifth Āvantyakhaṇḍa of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, containing eighty-one thousand verses.