Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

उमानामामृतं पीतं येनेह जगतीतले । न जातु जननीस्तन्यं स पिबेत्कुंभसंभव

Transliteration

umānāmāmṛtaṃ pītaṃ yeneha jagatītale | na jātu jananīstanyaṃ sa pibetkuṃbhasaṃbhava

Translation

ഹേ കുംഭസംബവ (അഗസ്ത്യ)! ഈ ഭൂമിയിൽ ഉമാ-നാമാമൃതം പാനം ചെയ്തവൻ പിന്നെ ഒരിക്കലും മാതൃസ്തന്യം കുടിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• उमानाम्: of Umā (Pārvatī)
• उमानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अमृतम्: nectar; ambrosia
• अमृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पीतम्: drunk
• पीतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पी’ = drunk

• येन: by whom; by which (person)
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• जगतीतले: on the surface of the earth
• जगतीतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगती + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगत्याः तलम्)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negative particle)

• जातु: ever; at any time
• जातु: Temporal adjunct (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: जातु (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (indeclinable adverb of time)

• जननीस्तन्यम्: mother’s milk
• जननीस्तन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जननी + स्तन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जनन्याः स्तन्यम्)

• स: he
• स: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• पिबेत्: should drink
• पिबेत्: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कुंभसंभव: O Pot-born one (Agastya)
• कुंभसंभव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुंभ + संभव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative/Nominative form used as address), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुंभात् संभवः)

Speaker

Skanda (addressing Agastya, inferred from vocative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbha-sambhava) (explicitly addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional tableau in Kāśī: a sage or pilgrim ‘drinking’ the nectar of Umā’s Name—shown as luminous syllables entering the heart—while the background suggests ghāṭs and a Śiva-Umā presence blessing the devotee; the maternal-milk metaphor is hinted by a fading cradle motif, signifying end of rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Agastya (Kumbha-sambhava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Drinking the ‘nectar’ of the Goddess’s Name symbolizes freedom from rebirth—no return to infancy (mother’s milk).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Kāśī discourse; the verse highlights the salvific power of Umā’s name in the Kāśī-māhātmya atmosphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nāma-japa/constant remembrance of Umā’s name (implied as the means to ‘drink’ the nectar).