Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52
हित्वा श्रुतेरध्ययनं योन्यत्पठितुमिच्छति । स दोग्ध्रीं धेनुमुत्सृज्य ग्रामक्रोडीं दुधुक्षति
hitvā śruteradhyayanaṃ yonyatpaṭhitumicchati | sa dogdhrīṃ dhenumutsṛjya grāmakroḍīṃ dudhukṣati
One who forsakes the study of the Śruti and longs to read other things is like a man who releases a milch-cow and tries to milk a village sow.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: Allegorical scene: a man releases a gentle cow with full udder and runs toward a squealing sow in a village lane, trying to milk it; in the background, a scholar’s study space with neglected manuscripts symbolizes forsaken Śruti.
FAQs
Neglecting foundational sacred learning for lesser pursuits is spiritually unproductive, like choosing an inferior source for nourishment.
As part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa, it supports the dharmic culture associated with Kāśī as a center of Śruti and right conduct.
An implied prescription: prioritize Śruti-adhyayana (Vedic study) over secondary or distracting studies.