Shloka 13
Dharma, Purity, and the Inner Purpose of the Vedas
Karma-kāṇḍa Reoriented to Bhakti
अमेध्यलिप्तं यद् येन गन्धलेपं व्यपोहति । भजते प्रकृतिं तस्य तच्छौचं तावदिष्यते ॥ १३ ॥
amedhya-liptaṁ yad yena gandha-lepaṁ vyapohati bhajate prakṛtiṁ tasya tac chaucaṁ tāvad iṣyate
ಯಾವ ಶುದ್ಧಿಕರ ದ್ರವ್ಯವು ಅಪವಿತ್ರ ವಸ್ತುವಿನ ದುರ್ವಾಸನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಮಲಿನ ಆವರಣವನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಹಾಕಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಅದರ ಸಹಜ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಗೆ ಮರಳಿಸುವುದೋ, ಅದೇ ತಕ್ಕ ಶೌಚವೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತದೆ।
Furniture, kitchen utensils, clothing and other objects are purified by application of abrasion, alkali, acid, water and so on. One thereby removes the bad fragrance or impure coating of such objects, restoring them to their original clean appearance.
FAQs
This verse explains that cleanliness is meaningful only if it truly removes impurity and its effects; if one returns to the same impure condition again, that purity is only temporary and incomplete.
Krishna is teaching Uddhava discernment about genuine purification—showing that merely external or momentary cleansing is not the full standard of śauca if one repeatedly returns to contamination.
Go beyond surface fixes: remove the root cause of harmful habits and environments, and adopt steady practices that prevent returning to the same impurities—physically, mentally, and spiritually.