Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20
सापि तद्वचनात्सद्यस्तादृग्रूपा व्यजायत । यादृशोऽसौ मुनिश्रेष्ठो वलीपलितगात्रभृत्
sāpi tadvacanātsadyastādṛgrūpā vyajāyata | yādṛśo'sau muniśreṣṭho valīpalitagātrabhṛt
À ces seules paroles, elle prit aussitôt cette même apparence—semblable au plus éminent des sages, dont le corps portait rides et cheveux blanchis.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)
Type: kund
Scene: At the utterance, the courtesan’s youth collapses into sudden senescence—wrinkles and grey hair appear; she mirrors the sage’s aged body, creating a visual doubling of forms.
FAQs
A saintly word and a tīrtha-centered vow can effect immediate inner and outer transformation, highlighting the potency of dharma-guided speech and sacred acts.
The passage belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya in Adhyāya 44, which proceeds to praise the Viśvāmitreśvara tīrtha and its waters.
This verse itself emphasizes transformation by instruction; the explicit prescription of bathing and worship appears in the subsequent verses.