Shloka 51
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
यथा कश्रिद् वन॑ घोरं बहुसर्पसरीसूपम् । श्वभ्रवत् तोयहीनं च दुर्गमें बहुकण्टकम्
yathā kaścid vanaṁ ghoraṁ bahu-sarpa-sarīsṛpam | śvabhravat toyahīnaṁ ca durgamaṁ bahu-kaṇṭakam ||
ビーシュマは言った。「たとえば、無水の深い谷のように恐ろしい森があり、無数の蛇や這うものが群れ、道は険しく棘に満ち、糧はほとんど得られず、危難が至るところに潜む——その森を無事に旅し得る者は、まことに稀である。これと同じく、ヨーガの道に帰依しても、そこを巧みに進み得る二生者（ドヴィジャ）は稀である。なぜなら、その道は多くの過失と艱難に満ちると説かれているからだ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the yogic path is intrinsically difficult and perilous—like crossing a deadly, thorny, waterless forest—and therefore only a rare, well-prepared practitioner can proceed safely; it calls for vigilance, endurance, and freedom from common pitfalls.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on higher dharma and spiritual disciplines. Here he uses a vivid simile of a dangerous forest journey to explain why progress on the path of Yoga is uncommon and requires exceptional steadiness.