Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 79
भाविनीनामयं पुत्रः सांप्रतं च विशेषतः । स्नपनीयः पायितव्यः पोष्यः पाल्यः स्वपुत्रवत्
bhāvinīnāmayaṃ putraḥ sāṃprataṃ ca viśeṣataḥ | snapanīyaḥ pāyitavyaḥ poṣyaḥ pālyaḥ svaputravat
“This child will be yours in the days to come—and especially from this very moment. He must be bathed, given milk, nourished, and guarded as though he were your own son.”
Kapilā (inferred from context)
Scene: Women prepare water for bathing the child, a vessel of milk, and protective gestures; the mother instructs with urgency yet tenderness.
FAQs
True dharma is practical care—nourishing and safeguarding the vulnerable as one’s own.
The narrative belongs to Arbuda Khaṇḍa (Arbuda region); this verse emphasizes dharmic conduct rather than a tīrtha-phala.
Care-actions are listed: bathing (snāpana) and feeding (pāyana), framed as duties of guardianship.