Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42
एकमप्यक्षरं यस्तु गुरुः शिष्ये निवेदयेत् । पृथिव्यां नास्ति तद्द्रव्यं यद्दत्त्वा ह्यनृणी भवेत्
ekamapyakṣaraṃ yastu guruḥ śiṣye nivedayet | pṛthivyāṃ nāsti taddravyaṃ yaddattvā hyanṛṇī bhavet
Selbst wenn ein Guru seinem Schüler nur eine einzige Silbe lehrt, gibt es auf Erden keinen Besitz, der—wenn man ihn hingäbe—einen wahrhaft schuldfrei gegenüber dieser Schuld machte.
Sūta (deduced)
Tirtha: Citreśvarīpīṭha-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame; not explicit here)
Scene: A guru seated with a disciple; the guru gently utters a single syllable (akṣara) while pointing to a palm-leaf; the disciple offers heaps of coins and jewels, yet the guru’s calm gesture indicates the gift is beyond price—emphasizing humility over wealth.
FAQs
Knowledge received from a guru is priceless; gratitude and lifelong reverence are the proper response, beyond material repayment.
The verse supports the māhātmya’s concluding dharma (how to honor transmission), rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.
No specific rite is mandated; the teaching underscores guru-veneration as a dharmic obligation beyond monetary compensation.