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 berkata: “Minyak bijan atau minyak sawi itu juga, apabila berulang kali diharumkan dengan banyak kalungan bunga yang wangi, akan meninggalkan bau asalnya dan tinggal dalam keharuman bunga-bunga itu. Demikian juga, himpunan kecacatan yang digerakkan oleh tiga guṇa—sattva, rajas, dan tamas—serta dikuatkan sepanjang ratusan kelahiran oleh pergaulan dengan isteri, anak, dan seumpamanya, dapat dihentikan melalui pemahaman dan usaha berterusan yang lahir daripada latihan yang berdisiplin.”
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.