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**Shushrusha: The Stream of Knowledge**
(25) **Meaning:** This Shushrusha, the desire to listen, is like a stream of knowledge. Without it, listening is futile, like digging a well in barren land without a stream.
**Commentary:**
"The stream of knowledge is like a well, without it, the land is barren. Listening is like a king, who sleeps and hears nothing." - Ch. 20, Sanmay, Ru. 3
Here, the desire to listen, Shushrusha, is like a stream of knowledge. Just as a well with a stream will always have water, so too will a strong desire to listen bring forth a continuous flow of knowledge. But just as a well without a stream will not have water, so too will a lack of Shushrusha, a lack of this desire, prevent the flow of knowledge, leaving the well of knowledge empty.
Without Shushrusha, all listening becomes dust, like hearing nothing at all. It enters one ear and exits the other, never reaching the heart. It is like digging a well in barren land, where no matter how deep you dig, no water will be found. The effort is wasted, and only fatigue remains.
In such listening, the sound waves strike the eardrum and are lost back into the air. This is illustrated in the following diagram:
**Diagram 8**
**Diagram 9**
**Knowledge-filled well = Knowledge-filled mind**
**Barren land = Lack of Shushrusha**
**Stream of knowledge = Shushrusha**
The absence of Shushrusha is like the absence of a stream of knowledge.