Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53
इति त्वयि स्थिते जोषं स पुनर्वृद्धतापसः । पिपासुरस्मि पानीयमानीयाशु प्रयच्छ मे
iti tvayi sthite joṣaṃ sa punarvṛddhatāpasaḥ | pipāsurasmi pānīyamānīyāśu prayaccha me
നീ മൗനമായി നിന്നപ്പോൾ ആ വൃദ്ധ തപസ്വി വീണ്ടും പറഞ്ഞു—“എനിക്ക് ദാഹമുണ്ട്; വേഗം വെള്ളം കൊണ്ടുവന്ന് എനിക്ക് തരിക.”
Vṛddha-tāpasa / Jaṭādhara (aged ascetic)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The aged ascetic, frail yet dignified, asks for water; the king stands silent, then is urged to act quickly—an intimate moment of compassion amid sacred surroundings.
FAQs
Simple service—like offering water to a tapasvī—is a direct expression of dharma and earns spiritual merit.
Kāśī is the narrative ground where even small acts of service become spiritually weighty.
Offering drinking water (pānīya-sevā) to a holy person is implied as a dharmic act.