Shloka 76
Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)
सोऊ5हं क्रियावतां पन्था: पुनरावत्तिदुर्लभ: । यो यथा निर्मितो जन्तुर्यस्मिन् यस्मिंश्व॒ कर्मणि
so ’haṁ kriyavatāṁ panthāḥ punarāvṛtti-durlabhaḥ | yo yathā nirmito jantur yasmin yasmiṁś ca karmaṇi ||
Vaiśampāyana said: ‘This path of those who are devoted to right action is hard to retrace once one has turned away from it. For each creature is fashioned in a particular way, and is naturally set to act in this or that kind of work according to its own making.’
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that steadfast commitment to disciplined, rightful action (kriyā/dharma) is not easily regained once abandoned, because beings tend to act according to their inherent constitution (svabhāva) and are naturally inclined toward particular kinds of work.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana continues explaining principles of conduct: he remarks on the difficulty of returning to the disciplined path after deviation, and links human conduct to the way each being is ‘made’ and thus drawn to specific actions.