Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 105
अंगानां वर्धनादंबा वीरसूत्वे च वीरसूः । शिशोः शुश्रूषणाच्छ्वश्रूर्माता स्यान्माननात्तथा
aṃgānāṃ vardhanādaṃbā vīrasūtve ca vīrasūḥ | śiśoḥ śuśrūṣaṇācchvaśrūrmātā syānmānanāttathā
She is called Ambā because she nurtures and increases the limbs of the child; and Vīrasū because she gives birth to the brave. By serving and tending the child, even a mother-in-law becomes ‘mother’; likewise, by honoring a woman, she becomes mother in dignity.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), contextually addressing the sages (deduced)
Scene: A domestic, tender scene: a mother (Ambā) nursing and strengthening a child; a respectful household where a daughter-in-law serves a child and honors the elder woman, transforming relationships into ‘motherhood’.
FAQs
Motherhood is defined by nurturing, courageous upbringing, service, and honor—these create sacred familial bonds.
No tīrtha is referenced; the verse focuses on household dharma and relational ethics.
No formal ritual; it prescribes respectful conduct—service (śuśrūṣā) and honoring (māna) within the family.