Shloka 41
पञ्चवर्णोत्पत्तिः — The Origin of the Five-Colored Fiery Being and Ritual-Disruptor Lineages
पापं कुर्वन् पापवृत्त: पापस्यान्तं न गच्छति । तस्मात् पुण्यं यतेत् कर्तु वर्जयीत च पापकम्,पाप करनेवाले मनुष्यको पापकी आदत हो जाती है, फिर उसके पापका अन्त नहीं होता। अतः मनुष्यको चाहिये कि वह पुण्य कर्म करनेका ही प्रयत्न करे और पापको सर्वथा त्याग दे
pāpaṁ kurvan pāpavṛttaḥ pāpasyāntaṁ na gacchati | tasmāt puṇyaṁ yateta kartuṁ varjayīta ca pāpakam ||
The hunter said: “One who commits sin becomes habituated to sinful conduct, and then does not reach an end to his sin. Therefore a person should strive to perform meritorious deeds and should completely avoid wrongdoing.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sin tends to become a habit: repeated wrongdoing entrenches a ‘sinful disposition’ and makes cessation difficult. Hence one should actively cultivate puṇya (virtuous action) and deliberately avoid pāpa (wrongdoing).
In the Vyādha’s instruction (a moral discourse within Vana Parva), he advises the listener on practical dharma: character is shaped by repeated actions, so one must consciously turn toward merit and away from sin.