Shloka 29
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
अनब्रुवन् वाति सुरभिर्गन्ध: सुमनसां शुचि: । तथैवाव्याहरन् भाति विमलो भानुरम्बरे
anabruvan vāti surabhir gandhaḥ sumanasāṃ śuciḥ | tathaivāvyāharan bhāti vimalaḥ bhānur ambare ||
Nārada dit : «Sans parler, le parfum pur et délicieux des fleurs se répand dans la brise. De même, sans se proclamer, le soleil sans tache resplendit dans le ciel.» L’enseignement est que la véritable excellence et la vertu n’ont pas besoin d’être annoncées : elles se révèlent d’elles-mêmes par leurs effets naturels.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Genuine merit does not need proclamation. Like a flower’s scent and the sun’s light, true virtue and excellence become known through their natural, beneficial effects rather than through self-praise.
Nārada offers a moral illustration using two natural images—fragrance carried by the wind and the sun shining in the sky—to counsel that the best qualities reveal themselves quietly and unmistakably.