Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74
तेषां त्रयाणां शुश्रूषा परमं तप उच्यते । तानतिक्रम्य यः कुर्यात्तन्नसिद्ध्येत्कदाचन
teṣāṃ trayāṇāṃ śuśrūṣā paramaṃ tapa ucyate | tānatikramya yaḥ kuryāttannasiddhyetkadācana
この三者――母・父・師（グル）――への篤い奉仕こそ、最高の苦行（タパス）と説かれる。彼らを軽んじ、背いて行うことは、決して真の成就に至らない。
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical Purāṇic frame)
Scene: A humble householder bows at the feet of mother, father, and seated guru; a faint aura of Kāśī’s ghāṭas and Viśvanātha spire in the background, suggesting that even in the holy city, siddhi depends on seva.
FAQs
The highest tapas is service to mother, father, and guru; neglecting them undermines all spiritual and worldly success.
The setting is Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Varanasi), where dharma is taught as integral to the sanctity of the place.
Śuśrūṣā (attentive service) is prescribed as a spiritual discipline, functioning like an austerity.