Shloka 12
Pāṇḍu’s Marriages, Conquests, and Triumphal Return (पाण्डोर्विवाह-विजय-प्रत्यागमनम्)
मत्स्यगन्धो महानासीत् पुरा मम जुगुप्सित: । तमपास्य शुभं गन्धमिमं प्रादात् स मे मुनि:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | matsyagandho mahān āsīt purā mama jugupsitaḥ | tam apāsya śubhaṃ gandham imaṃ prādāt sa me muniḥ |
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。かつて私には強い魚の臭いがまとわりつき、私はそれを忌み嫌っていた。あの仙人はそれを取り去り、この吉祥なる香りを私に授けた。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how ascetic power can radically alter outward conditions (here, bodily odor and thus social perception), while the broader episode invites ethical reflection on power imbalance—supernatural ‘boons’ may accompany coercive acts, and dharma requires scrutiny of means, not only outcomes.
A young woman recounts that she previously had an intense fishy odor; a sage removed that repulsive smell and granted her a pleasant fragrance. This occurs within the well-known episode where the sage approaches her on a boat and uses his power to conceal the scene.