Shloka 15
Śāṇḍilī–Sumanā-saṃvāda: Sat-strī-samudācāra and Pati-dharma
Conduct of the Virtuous Wife
पुण्यस्यैवाभिगन्धस्ते मनन््ये कर्मविधानजम् । अधिकं मार्जनात् तात तथा चैवानुलेपनात्
puṇyasyaivābhigandhas te manye karmavidhānajam | adhikaṃ mārjanāt tāta tathā caivānulepanāt ||
Vyāsa sprach: „Den Duft des Verdienstes, der unablässig von dir ausgeht, halte ich für die Frucht deiner disziplinierten Ausübung rechter Taten—vor allem des Verdienstes des Gebens. Mein Sohn, die Wohltätigkeit übertrifft selbst Waschen und Salben; sie ist größer als bloße äußere Reinigung, denn sie ist eine innere Weihe, die den Duft der Tugend verbreitet.“
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True purity is not merely external (cleansing and anointing) but arises from righteous conduct—especially charity—whose merit becomes visible as a ‘fragrance’ of virtue.
Vyāsa addresses a listener affectionately and interprets the person’s constant ‘scent of merit’ as the result of properly performed virtuous acts, highlighting dāna (giving) as superior to outward acts of purification.