Skandapurana 2.4.2.p108

2.4.2.p108

2.4.2.8
gurusevāprasādātsarvaṃ prāpnotītyatra dṛṣṭāṃtamāha-medhāvī kapilaḥ sumatiḥ iti trayaḥ śiṣyāḥ gautamasya . guroḥ uttamasevayā devatvaṃ prāptāḥ.. atra prasiddhā kathā sāroddhāroktakārtikamāhātmye-purā bhāgīrathītīre siddhāśrame gautamaṛṣestrayaḥ śiṣyāḥ medhāvī kapilaḥ sumatiriti, te bālyādeva gurusevātatparā āsan, ekadā gautamastānāhūya uvāca-he śiṣyāḥ vane śīghraṃ gatvā samitpuṣpaphalakuśā ānīyaṃtām, te ca phalādikaṃ svalpaṃ gṛhītvā madhyāhne gurunikaṭaṃ prāptāḥ, tadā gautamo'tikruddhaḥ sannuvāca he śiṣyāḥ yūyaṃ prātareva gatāḥ adhunā tu madhyāhno jātaḥ . phalādikamapi svalpamānītaṃ tarhi etāvatā kālena kiṃ kṛtam, he durvṛttāḥ yadi jīvitumicchatha tadā punaḥ vanaṃ gatvā phalādīni bahūnyādāya satvarāḥ samāgacchata, tacchrutvā bhītāḥ kṣutkṣāmakaṃṭhāḥ punareva vanaṃ yayuḥ, tatra vanādvanaṃ gacchaṃtaḥ paścimābhimukhāḥ tṛṣayā paripīḍitāḥ ekasminsarovare snānaṃ saṃdhyāṃ ca kṛtvā jalaṃ pītvā phalādīni vicinvaṃto'tibhayaṃkaraṃ vanaṃ viviśuḥ, tadānīṃ rātriśca jātā. siṃhavyāghrādīnāṃ nādāśca babhūvuḥ, tadā bhītā mithaḥ procuḥ, aho kaṣṭaṃ mahāṃdhakārayukte'sminvane phalādīni na paśyāmaḥ, diśo na jānīmaḥ, kiṃ gṛhītvā guru sannidhiṃ gacchāmaḥ naḥ kathaṃ bhavediti bhayāturā itastato bhramaṃtastṛṇagulmasamāvṛte kūpe patitāḥ, tatra sarpairdaṣṭā mṛtyuṃ prāpuḥ . atha gautamastānanāgatāñjñātvā svātmānaṃ bahu viniṃdya prātarbhāryayā sākaṃ vane tānmṛgayannekasminkūpe mṛtāndṛṣṭvā vilalāpa, tadā sarvāḥ svapāpenaivaite mṛtāḥ kimarthaṃ śokaḥ kārya iti gautamaṃ sāṃtvayāṃcakruḥ . atha gautama uvāca - karmaṇā manasā vācā pāpamebhiḥ kadācana .. na kṛtaṃ śiṣyavaryaistairbhavadbhirlokaniṣṭhuraiḥ .. vṛthā saṃghātitāste tu kālamṛtyurna cāgataḥ .. tasmānna doṣo yuṣmākaṃ na caiṣāmapi pannagāḥ .. karteṣāṃ yama evā'tra yamaṃ tasmācchapāmyaham.. ityuktvā jalamādāya yamaṃ śaptuṃ samudyataḥ ..” iti . tadā yamaḥ sahasaiva tatrāgatyovāca-he ṛṣe . eṣāmakālamaraṇaṃ na kiṃtu sarpadaṃśanimittena mahāmṛtyukāla evopasthitastasmādvicārya śāpaṃ dehi nātra mamāparādhaḥ . tadā gautama uvāca-evaṃ sati etaiḥ sacchiṣyairvinā mama jīvitena kiṃ prayojanam, ataḥ mayā yatpuṇyamupārjitaṃ yacca tapastaptaṃ tena puṇyena tava kṛpayā ca ete jīvanaṃ prāpnuvaṃtu, evamukte te sahasotthāya saṃhṛṣṭā agrataḥ guruṃ yamaṃ ca dṛṣṭvā vavaṃdire, gautamaḥ prītyā tānāliṃgyātituṣṭaḥ yuṣmākaṃ varaṃ dāsyāmītyuvāca-'sarvānvedāṃśca śāstrāṇi samastāṃgāni suvratāḥ .. itihāsapurāṇāni matprasādādavāpsyatha .. guruṇaivaṃ vare datte seṃdro gururagāttataḥ .. gautamaṃ pretarājaṃ ca tāṃśca viprānuvāca ha .. indrohamasmi bhadraṃ vaḥ śṛṇudhvaṃ vacanaṃ mama .. etairdvijairatīveha jitā lokāśca sarvaśaḥ .. mama lokamitastasmādgaṃtumarhatha suvratāḥ .. gautamasya prasādena sadehā eva gacchata .. sāmarthyameṣāṃ loke ca tava kīrtistathā mama .. kīrtiśca loke khyātā syādgurupūjāphalaṃ tathā.." ityuktvā tānvimāne cā''ropya divaṃ yayau, yamaḥ svapuraṃ gautamaśca svāśramaṃ yayāviti ..

2.4.2.8
To show that one obtains everything through the grace born of service to the guru, he states an illustrative story: Gautama had three disciples—Medhāvin, Kapila, and Sumati. Through excellent service to their guru, they attained divinity. Here is the famous story recounted in the Kārtikamāhātmya of the Sāroddhāra: Formerly, on the bank of the Bhāgīrathī at Siddhāśrama, the seer Gautama had three disciples: Medhāvin, Kapila, and Sumati. From their very childhood, they were dedicated to serving the guru. Once, Gautama called them and said: “O disciples, go quickly to the forest and bring kindling, flowers, fruits, and kuśa grass.” Having gathered only a few fruits and other items, they returned to their guru at midday. Gautama then became exceedingly angry and said: “O disciples, you went in the early morning, and now it is midday! You have brought very little fruit and the like; what, then, have you been doing for so long? O ill-behaved ones, if you wish to live, go back to the forest, gather many fruits and the like, and return quickly!” Hearing this, terrified, with throats withered by hunger, they went to the forest once again. There, wandering from forest to forest facing the west, afflicted with thirst, they bathed in a lake, performed the twilight devotion, drank water, and, while gathering fruits and the like, entered a terrifying forest. Night fell upon them. The roar of lions, tigers, and other beasts arose. Then, terrified, they said to one another: “Alas, how dreadful! In this deep dark forest we cannot see fruits or anything; we do not know the directions. Taking what shall we return to the guru's presence? What will become of us?” Distressed by fear and wandering here and there, they fell into a well overgrown with grass and bushes. There, bitten by serpents, they met their death. Gautama, realizing they had not returned and severely reproaching himself, went searching for them in the forest in the morning with his wife; seeing them dead in a well, he lamented. Then all [the serpents] consoled Gautama, saying: “They died solely through their own sin; why should you grieve?” Gautama said: / “Never did these best of disciples commit any sin / by action, mind, or speech. Cruel beings of this world that you are, / you struck them down in vain, for their allotted time of death had not arrived. / Therefore, the fault is not yours, nor is it that of these serpents; / the one who did this is Yama alone; hence, I shall curse Yama!” Saying this, taking water, he was about to curse Yama. Then Yama immediately arrived there and said: “O seer, this was not an untimely death for them; rather, the appointed time of great death arrived by reason of the serpent bites. Therefore, deliberate before issuing a curse; herein there is no fault of mine.” Gautama then said: “If this is so, what purpose have I in living without these good disciples? Therefore, by whatever merit I have earned and whatever austerity I have performed, through that merit and by your grace, let them attain life!” When this was said, they suddenly arose rejoicing, saw their guru and Yama before them, and bowed to them. Gautama embraced them with love and, exceedingly pleased, said, “I shall grant you a boon: / 'O men of good vows, through my grace you shall obtain / all the Vedas, the scriptures, all the auxiliary limbs, the epics, and the Purāṇas!' / When the guru had thus granted the boon, Indra arrived there with his preceptor. / He said to Gautama, the King of the Departed, and those brahmins: / 'I am Indra; may good betide you; hear my words! / By these twice-born men, indeed, all worlds have been completely conquered. / Therefore, O men of good vows, you ought to go from here to my world! / By the grace of Gautama, go in your very bodies! / Thus let their power be renowned in the world, as well as your renown and mine, / and also the fruit of honoring the guru!'” Having said this, he placed them on an aerial chariot and went to heaven; Yama went to his own city, and Gautama went to his own hermitage.