कर्मणा येन येनेह यस्यां योनौ प्रजायते । जीवो मोहसमायुक्तस्तन्मे निगदत: शृणु,जीव मोहके वशीभूत होकर जिस-जिस कर्मका अनुष्ठान करनेसे जैसी-जैसी योनिमें जन्म धारण करता है, उसे बता रहा हूँ, सुनो
karmaṇā yena yenaiha yasyāṃ yonau prajāyate | jīvo mohasamāyuktas tan me nigadataḥ śṛṇu ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Écoute-moi tandis que j’explique comment l’être incarné, dominé par l’illusion, renaît dans telle ou telle matrice selon les actes particuliers qu’il accomplit en ce monde.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Birth into particular forms of existence is presented as the ethical consequence of one’s actions (karma), while delusion (moha) keeps the jīva bound to this cycle; understanding this linkage is meant to encourage responsible, dharmic conduct.
Yudhiṣṭhira introduces an explanatory section: he is about to describe how different kinds of actions lead the deluded embodied being to different births (yonis), framing the discussion as instruction to be listened to carefully.