Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 22
या एषा नृपतेः कन्या ख्याता रत्नावती जने । अस्याः स्तनौ गृहीत्वा त्वमधरं पिबसि द्रुतम् । ततस्ते स्याद्विशुद्धिश्च नान्यथा प्रभविष्यति
yā eṣā nṛpateḥ kanyā khyātā ratnāvatī jane | asyāḥ stanau gṛhītvā tvamadharaṃ pibasi drutam | tataste syādviśuddhiśca nānyathā prabhaviṣyati
«Celle-ci est la fille du roi, connue du peuple sous le nom de Ratnāvatī. Si tu saisis ses seins et bois promptement à ses lèvres, tu obtiendras la purification ; autrement, cela ne pourra advenir.»
Parāvasu’s companions (baṭavaḥ/vayasyāḥ) offering improper counsel
Type: kshetra
Scene: The companions point toward Ratnāvatī, speaking crudely and urging an obscene act as ‘purification,’ while the penitent recoils internally; the scene is tense and morally dark.
FAQs
Not every claim of “purification” is dharmic; immoral acts cannot be justified as prāyaścitta, and such counsel should be rejected.
No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is a moral turning-point within a larger Tīrthamāhātmya narrative.
A false ‘prescription’ is proposed by companions; it is not a legitimate dharma-rite and functions as an example of adharma.