Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

इमां त्वं कन्यकां चित्ते जननीं यदि मन्यसे । अधरास्वादनं कुर्वंस्ततः सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि

Transliteration

imāṃ tvaṃ kanyakāṃ citte jananīṃ yadi manyase | adharāsvādanaṃ kurvaṃstataḥ siddhimavāpsyasi

Translation

„Wenn du in deinem Herzen dieses Mädchen als deine Mutter ansiehst, dann wirst du, indem du ihre Lippen kostest, Erfolg erlangen (und der beabsichtigte Beweis wird erbracht).“

Word by Word

• imām: this (her)
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• kanyakām: girl, maiden
• kanyakām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyakā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• citte: in (your) mind
• citte: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• jananīm: mother
• jananīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jananī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक अव्यय (conditional particle)

• manyase: you think/consider
• manyase: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• adhara-āsvādanam: tasting/kissing of the lips
• adhara-āsvādanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhara (प्रातिपदिक) + āsvādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अधरस्य आस्वादनम्)

• kurvan: doing, performing
• kurvan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि

• tataḥ: then, thereby
• tataḥ: Desha-Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• siddhim: success, attainment
• siddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• avāpsyasi: you will obtain
• avāpsyasi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhartṛyajña instructs Parāvasu: hold the maiden in mind as mother; the scene is charged with ethical tension—purity versus temptation—under the gaze of witnesses.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Parāvasu
• Kanyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner intention (bhāva) is treated as decisive; dharma evaluates purity of mind, not merely outward claims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha is not named in this verse; the episode belongs to the chapter’s larger tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A conditional ‘proof-test’ is proposed to reveal purity/impurity, rather than a standard pilgrimage rite.