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 ||
毗湿摩说：“同样是那芝麻油或芥子油，若以众多芬芳花鬘反复熏染，便会舍弃其本有之气，而安住于花鬘之香。亦复如是：由三德（guṇa）——萨埵（sattva）、罗阇（rajas）、昏暗（tamas）——所驱动的诸过失之聚，又因百生以来与妻子、儿女等相系而愈加坚固者，皆可凭智慧之明与由严谨修习所生的持久精进，使之归于止息。”
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.