Shloka 46
Adhyāya 314 — हिमवदाश्रमः, शक्तिक्षेपकथा, तथा स्वाध्यायविधिः
Himalayan Hermitage, the Myth of the Thrown Spear, and Rules of Vedic Study
पुण्यपापेन मानुष्यमधर्मेणाप्यधोगतिम् । केवल पुण्य करनेसे मनुष्य ऊर्ध्वलोकमें गमन करता है, पुण्य और पाप दोनोंके अनुष्ठानसे मर्त्यलोकमें जन्म लेता है तथा केवल पापाचार करनेपर उसे अधोगतिमें गिरना पड़ता है
puṇyapāpena mānuṣyam adharmeṇāpy adhogatim |
Yājñavalkya said: By the mixture of merit and demerit a being attains human birth; and by conduct opposed to dharma—still more—one falls to lower states. This teaching sets forth moral causality: pure merit elevates, mixed deeds bind one to rebirth in the mortal world, and persistent sin leads downward.
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions bear corresponding results: merit tends toward higher attainments, mixed merit and demerit yield continued human rebirth, and unrighteous conduct drives one toward lower states.
In a didactic discourse within the Śānti Parva, the sage Yājñavalkya explains the ethical logic of karma—how different patterns of conduct shape one’s post-mortem destiny and future birth.