Shloka 15
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
तदेव बहुभिमर्माल्यैर्वास्यथमानं पुनः पुनः । विमुञज्चति स्वकं गन्धं माल्यगन्धे च तिष्ठति
tad eva bahubhir marmālyair vāsyathamānaṃ punaḥ punaḥ | vimuñcati svakaṃ gandhaṃ mālyagandhe ca tiṣṭhati ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Cette même huile de sésame ou de moutarde, lorsqu’elle est parfumée maintes et maintes fois par de nombreuses guirlandes de fleurs odorantes, abandonne son odeur native et vient demeurer dans le parfum des guirlandes. De même, la masse des fautes mise en branle par les trois guṇa—sattva, rajas et tamas—et fortifiée durant des centaines de naissances par la fréquentation de l’épouse, des enfants et autres, peut être menée à cessation par la compréhension et l’effort soutenu né d’une pratique disciplinée.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Repeated association and sustained practice can transform one’s ingrained tendencies: just as oil repeatedly infused with floral scent relinquishes its own odor and takes on the garland’s fragrance, so too long-accumulated faults driven by the three guṇas can be reduced and ended through discernment (buddhi) and disciplined practice (abhyāsa) supported by deliberate effort (yatna).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on inner discipline and the workings of the guṇas, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira using a concrete household analogy (oil absorbing perfume) to explain how deep-seated dispositions formed over many lives and reinforced by worldly attachments can nevertheless be altered through understanding and sustained spiritual-ethical effort.