Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 102
रक्षयेच्च सुतं माता नान्यः पोष्यविधानतः । तदा स वृद्धो भवति तदा भवति दुःखितः
rakṣayecca sutaṃ mātā nānyaḥ poṣyavidhānataḥ | tadā sa vṛddho bhavati tadā bhavati duḥkhitaḥ
It is the mother who protects the son—by the very ordinance of nurturing none other does so. When she is gone, then he truly becomes “old”; then sorrow afflicts him.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), contextually addressing the sages (deduced)
Scene: Mother stands between a child and unseen dangers, protective posture; in a second vignette, the grown son sits alone, head bowed, conveying the onset of ‘true old age’ after her departure.
FAQs
It teaches that the mother’s protection is irreplaceable, and her absence brings deep vulnerability and grief.
No specific site is praised in this verse.
No ritual is stated; it implies the dharma of recognizing and repaying maternal care.