Shloka 82
तेन गन्धवतीत्येवं नामास्या: प्रथितं भुवि | तस्यास्तु योजनाद् गन्धमाजिध्रन्त नरा भुवि
tena gandhavatīty evaṁ nāmāsyāḥ prathitaṁ bhuvi | tasyāstu yojanād gandham ājighranta narā bhuvi ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Kaya nga, sumikat sa daigdig ang kanyang pangalan bilang “Gandhavatī”—ang Mabango. Tunay na naaamoy ng mga tao sa lupa ang kanyang halimuyak kahit mula sa layong isang yojana.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how a person’s distinctive qualities—whether natural or acquired—shape public reputation and naming. It also reflects the epic’s interest in how identity in society is formed through widely observed traits and the stories attached to them.
Vaiśampāyana explains the origin of the epithet ‘Gandhavatī’ for a woman: her fragrance was so strong that people could smell it from as far as a yojana, making the name famous throughout the world.