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 dit : «Le parfum du mérite qui émane sans cesse de toi, je crois qu’il naît de l’accomplissement discipliné des actes justes—et surtout du mérite du don. Mon enfant, la charité dépasse même le fait de se laver et de s’oindre ; elle est plus grande que la purification extérieure, car elle est une consécration intérieure qui répand le parfum de la vertu.»
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.