Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70
प्रयत्नेन खनन्यद्वद्भूमेर्वार्यधिगच्छति । शुश्रूषया गुरोस्तद्वद्विद्या शिष्योधिगच्छति
prayatnena khananyadvadbhūmervāryadhigacchati | śuśrūṣayā gurostadvadvidyā śiṣyodhigacchati
Wie man durch eifriges Graben das im Erdreich verborgene Wasser erreicht, so erlangt der Schüler durch hingebungsvollen Dienst am Guru wahre Erkenntnis.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A disciple digs a well in parable-form while, in the main scene, he sits near a guru in Kāśī, offering water and listening; the hidden water becomes a luminous stream symbolizing vidyā.
FAQs
Knowledge arises through sustained effort and reverent service; guru-sevā is presented as the direct means to vidyā.
The instruction is situated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting, where right conduct supports the pilgrimage-spirit of Varanasi.
The ‘prescription’ is disciplined practice: śuśrūṣā (attentive service) to the guru as a formal dharmic discipline for students.