Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

कपिले गच्छ पश्य त्वं तनयं सुतवत्सले । पाययित्वा स्तनं पूर्णमवघ्राय च मूर्धनि

Transliteration

kapile gaccha paśya tvaṃ tanayaṃ sutavatsale | pāyayitvā stanaṃ pūrṇamavaghrāya ca mūrdhani

Translation

O Kapilā, geh und sieh deinen Sohn, o zärtliche Mutter, die ihr Kind innig liebt. Lass ihn an deiner Brust trinken, bis er satt ist, und dann rieche an seinem Scheitel (küsse ihn) auf dem Haupt.

Word by Word

• kapile: O Kapilā
• kapile: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperative, 2nd person, Singular

• paśya: see
• paśya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Imperative, 2nd person, Singular

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• tanayam: son
• tanayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• sutavatsale: O one affectionate to (your) son
• sutavatsale: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक) + vatsala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुतस्य वत्सला)

• pāyayitvā: having fed (with milk)
• pāyayitvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु) [णिच् causative: pāyay-]
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Absolutive/Gerund; ‘having caused to drink’

• stanam: breast
• stanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: stana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• pūrṇam: full
• pūrṇam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; विशेषणम् (स्तनम्)

• avaghrāya: having smelled
• avaghrāya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√ghrā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त) — Absolutive/Gerund; ‘having smelled’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात — Conjunction ‘and’

• mūrdhani: on the head
• mūrdhani: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

Vyāghra (tiger)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in the provided excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The tiger addresses Kapilā tenderly, permitting her to nurse her child fully and kiss/smell the crown of his head—an intimate maternal moment framed by looming danger.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Tanaya (son)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma honors natural duties—compassion allows a mother to fulfill her responsibility before facing fate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, Arbuda’s māhātmya is strengthened by showcasing dharmic ideals enacted within its narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the ‘prescription’ is moral—complete one’s rightful obligations with tenderness and integrity.