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 ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「正しき行いに励む者たちのこの道は、いったん背を向ければ、ふたたび辿り直すことが難しい。なぜなら、生きとし生けるものはそれぞれ固有のありように造られ、その造りに応じて、この業、かの業へと自然に向けられて働くからである。」
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.