Skandapurana 2.1.22

Now begins the determination of a worthy recipient deserving gifts.

The seers said:

"O venerable Sūta, omniscient one, skilled in the Vedas and Vedānta,

to whom should gifts be given, and what is the proper time for giving?

And who should accept them? You ought to tell us everything."

Śrī Sūta said:

"In the sacred field named Veṅkaṭa, which bestows great religious merit, O best of brahmins,

a brahmin is the supreme guru of all castes whatsoever.

Gifts should be given to him; as a learned man, he delivers [the giver].

A brahmin should accept [gifts], excluding, however, an outcaste.

To a eunuch, to one without a son, to one devoted to hypocritical conduct,

to a hater of the Vedas, and likewise to a hater of twice-born men,

and to one who has abandoned his proper duties—what is given becomes fruitless.

To one devoted to another's wife, and to one coveting another's wealth,

even if he is a brahmin, [and] to a [mere professional] singer—what is given becomes fruitless.

To one whose mind is overcome by malice, to an ungrateful person, to a deceiver,

and to a brahmin devoid of knowledge—what is given becomes fruitless.

To one constantly intent on begging, to a violent person, and to an impotent man,

to a seller of the [holy] Name, and likewise to a seller of the Veda,

to a seller of Smṛti, and likewise to a seller of dharma,

and to one whose nature is to torment others—what is given becomes fruitless.

Whatever persons are intent upon sin and censured by the virtuous—

One should not accept anything from them, nor should anything be given to them.

Only to one devoted to good works, learned in the Veda, who maintains the sacred fire,

lacking a livelihood, poor, and burdened with a household should gifts indeed be given;

and to one dedicated to the worship of the gods, and to a narrator of the Purāṇas.

O brahmins, gifts should diligently be given, especially to one who is poor.

What is the use of speaking much on this point? Listen, O best of the twice-born:

It is always possible to give to all brahmins;

yet if a gift is given to the husband of a barren woman, that man is born as an ass.

An atheist, one who transgresses propriety, one without sons, a fool, a wicked man,

a thief, and a gambler—one should never salute [them].

A heretic, an outcaste, an apostate, and a seller of the Veda,

an ungrateful person, and one intent on sin—one should never salute [them].

Likewise, one who is performing ritual ablution, one holding firewood and flowers in hand,

one holding a water vessel, and one who is eating—one should not salute.

A contentious man, a fierce man, one vomiting, one who is in the midst of a crowd,

one carrying alms-food, and one lying down—one should not salute.

A barren woman, a menstruating woman, an adulteress, a woman recently delivered of a child, one who procures abortion,

one who breaks her vows, and a wrathful woman—one should never salute.

In an assembly, in a sacrificial hall, and in temples of the deities,

paying individual obeisance destroys past merit.

One engaged in a śrāddha observance, one worshipping deities,

and one performing sacrifice or water libation—one should not salute.

He who does not return a salutation to one who salutes him,

is to be known as not fit to be saluted, just like a śūdra.

Therefore, at all times, an intelligent, best of brahmins

should never salute a cruel twice-born who is the husband of a barren woman.

Now begins the māhātmya of Ākāśagaṅgā.

The venerable Sūta said:

In this regard, I will narrate an ancient story concerning the wise Puṇyaśīla,

which was spoken by Nārada to the sage Sanatkumāra.

I shall relate that, O best of sages; listen with attentive minds.

Formerly on the bank of the Godāvarī, devoted to all duties,

there lived the excellent twice-born Puṇyaśīla, truthful of speech, master of his senses,

compassionate toward all beings, a worshipper of gods, fire, and brahmins,

pure by birth and action, devoted to the welfare of his mother and father,

devoted to gurus, ever polite, friendly to brahmins, and respected by the virtuous.

Endowed with such virtues, to the wise Puṇyaśīla's

Now the acquisition of an ass-face by Puṇyaśīla on account of inviting the husband of a barren woman:

house came a brahmin who had crossed to the end of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas.

He was invited with great eagerness by Puṇyaśīla for his father's śrāddha.

Having appointed that calm brahmin learned in the Veda for the ancestral śrāddha,

the righteous man performed the excellent annual śrāddha.

Then, after some time, upon Puṇyaśīla's face

came an exceedingly terrible deformity, resembling the face of an ass.

Thereupon, sorrow-minded, the exceedingly righteous Puṇyaśīla,

sighing deeply, distressed, approached the yogin Agastya

on the bank of the Suvarṇamukharī, frequented by hosts of seers,

at his supreme, divine hermitage that bestows the fruits of all desires.

Seeing in that hermitage the great-souled Agastya, served day and night by excellent sages,

who wishes the welfare of all the world,

he, bearing an ass-face and exceedingly grieved, bowed down to him.

Puṇyaśīla said:

O treasure of austerity, served by sages, obeisance to you, O Agastya!

Protect me, protect me, a great sinner with a repulsive face, O ocean of mercy!

By what fault has this deformity of my face occurred?

Out of affection for me, O fortunate one, speak, O best of sages!

Agastya said:

O best of brahmins, O highly fortunate Puṇyaśīla, O man of great intellect,

listen with an undivided mind, O twice-born, to [the cause of] the deformity of your face:

Now the narration of the unfitness of the husband of a barren woman to be invited to a śrāddha:

A certain brahmin, a treasure of virtues, who had mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas,

a learned scholar of the Veda, but devoid of a son, you appointed at a śrāddha.

Because of that great fault, your face became disfigured.

Those in the world who, in offerings to gods and ancestors and the like, [appoint] a brahmin who is the husband of a barren woman—

those who appoint [such a one] attain the form of a donkey's face.

Either in an auspicious rite, O brahmin, or in an ancestral rite,

one should never invite the husband of a barren woman, [who is] a great sinner.

The husband of a barren woman, or one exceedingly cruel, or the husband of a Śūdra woman—

one who desires his own welfare, O best of brahmins, should never invite [them] to a śrāddha.

Even if he is endowed with the Veda, scriptures, and the like, of noble birth, or dedicated to rituals,

the husband of a barren woman, O best of brahmins, must by all means be avoided at a śrāddha.

In sacrifices such as the Jyotiṣṭoma, in vows, and in austerities,

even if he is competent, O best of brahmins, one should avoid the husband of a barren woman at a śrāddha.

If a worthy brahmin cannot be found, one who lives merely by spinning thread,

having a son and good conduct, should be invited for the purpose of the śrāddha.

In his absence, O best of brahmins, one's son or younger brother,

or even oneself, one may appoint; but one should avoid the husband of a barren woman at a śrāddha.

O highly fortunate Puṇyaśīla, raising my arm it is proclaimed:

By no means should one appoint one who is destitute of a son for the purpose of a śrāddha.

The performer of a śrāddha who appoints a brahmin who is the husband of a barren woman,

his śrāddha is to be known as demonic, and the performer goes to hell.

Now, the removal of that deformity of Puṇyaśīla by bathing in the Ākāśagaṅgā:

What is the use of speaking much here? For the removal of that fault,

I will tell you an expedient. On the auspicious bank of the Svarṇamukhī,

Mount Veṅkaṭa stands, frequented by hosts of gods,

the son of Meru, greatly sacred, bestowing the fruit of all desires.

On that lord of mountains, Veṅkaṭa, bowed to by gods and asuras,

there is indeed a very great sacred ford named Viyadgaṅgā,

which calms all sins and increases life and health.

Going to Mount Veṅkaṭa, in the water of the Svāmipuṣkariṇī,

having bathed with a prior vow of intention, and immediately thereafter [going] to the sacred ford of Gaṅgā,

having gone, perform the ritual ablution according to the rules of the sacred ford, O noble-minded one.

From that ritual ablution alone, instantly, O noble-minded one,

the disfigurement of this face will surely vanish that very moment; of this there is no doubt.

Thus addressed by the great-souled Agastya,

having bowed to that great soul, Puṇyaśīla then went to Mount Veṅkaṭa.

Having gone there, the highly fortunate one, in the water of the Svāmipuṣkariṇī,

having bathed with due observance, approached the Viyadgaṅgā.

By the ritual ablution there, the righteous-minded Puṇyaśīla

obtained a face resembling the face of Kāma. Ah, the glory of the sacred ford!

Śrī Sūta said:

Thus has been narrated to you, O brahmins, what was spoken by Nārada

to the sage Sanatkumāra, O Śaunaka and other [sages] of great splendour.

Thus, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, in the collection of eighty-one thousand verses, in the second Vaiṣṇava section, in the Veṅkaṭācalamāhātmya, the twenty-second chapter, entitled 'Description of the Glory of Ākāśagaṅgā'.