Chanakya Niti — Human Nature, Shloka 17
यथा खात्वा खनित्रेण भूतले वारि विन्दति ।
तथा गुरुगतां विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ॥
yathā khātvā khanitreṇa bhūtale vāri vindati |
tathā gurugatāṃ vidyāṃ śuśrūṣur adhigacchati ||
Seperti menggali tanah dengan cangkul lalu menemui air, demikianlah murid yang tekun berkhidmat dan mendengar akan memperoleh ilmu yang berada pada guru.
FAQs
In the broader Sanskrit nīti and didactic tradition, learning is frequently framed as something accessed through proximity to a teacher and disciplined practice. The verse reflects a social world in which instruction often occurred through oral transmission, apprenticeship-like attendance, and sustained listening within a guru-centered setting.
The verse characterizes knowledge (vidyā) as something 'located with the teacher' (gurugatā) and portrays acquisition as the result of sustained effort and attentive service/listening (śuśrūṣā), rather than as an instantaneous transfer.
The simile pairs physical excavation (khātvā…khanitreṇa) with intellectual attainment (adhigacchati). Terms like gurugatā emphasize the locus of knowledge in an authoritative human repository, while śuśrūṣuḥ foregrounds attentive hearing and service as culturally valorized modes of learning in classical Sanskrit discourse.