Shloka 18
Āloka-dāna (Dīpa-dāna), Sumanas–Dhūpa–Dīpa Phala: Manu–Suvarṇa and Śukra–Bali Exempla
अमृतं मनसः प्रीतिं सद्यस्तृप्तिं ददाति च । मनो ग्लपयते तीव्र विष॑ गन्धेन सर्वश:,अमृत वह है, जिसे देखते ही मन प्रसन्न हो जाता है। जो तत्काल तृप्ति प्रदान करता है और विष वह है जो अपनी गन्धसे चित्तमें सर्वथा तीव्र ग्लानि पैदा करता है
amṛtaṃ manasaḥ prītiṃ sadyas tṛptiṃ dadāti ca | mano glāpayate tīvraṃ viṣa-gandhena sarvaśaḥ ||
น้ำอมฤตยังความปีติแก่จิตและประทานความอิ่มเอมโดยฉับพลัน ส่วนพิษนั้น เพียงด้วยกลิ่นของมัน ก็ทำให้จิตตกลงสู่ความทุกข์ระทมอันรุนแรงและทั่วถึง
शुक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should cultivate what is ‘amṛta-like’—that which naturally brings clarity, joy, and wholesome satisfaction to the mind—and avoid what is ‘viṣa-like,’ which even by proximity (symbolized by smell) produces inner agitation and dejection. The verse frames ethical discernment through the mind’s immediate moral-psychological response.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Śukra speaks in an instructive tone, using a vivid contrast—nectar versus poison—to teach how to recognize beneficial versus harmful influences and choices by their effects on the mind.