Shloka 8
Adhyāya 314 — हिमवदाश्रमः, शक्तिक्षेपकथा, तथा स्वाध्यायविधिः
Himalayan Hermitage, the Myth of the Thrown Spear, and Rules of Vedic Study
रज:सत्त्वसमायुक्तो मानुषेषु प्रपद्यते रजस्तमोभ्यां संयुक्तस्तिर्यग्योनिषु जायते,रजोगुण और सत्त्वगुणसे संयुक्ति होनेपर वह मनुष्य-लोकमें जाता है तथा रजोगुण और तमोगुणसे संयुक्त होनेपर वह पशु-पक्षी आदिकी योनियोंमें जन्म ग्रहण करता है
rajaḥ-sattva-samāyukto mānuṣeṣu prapadyate | rajas-tamobhyāṃ saṃyuktas tiryag-yoniṣu jāyate ||
रजोगुण व सत्त्वगुण यांचा संयोग झाला तर जीव मनुष्यलोकी जातो; आणि रजोगुण व तमोगुण यांचा संयोग झाला तर तो तिर्यक्-योनीत—पशु-पक्षी इत्यादींमध्ये—जन्म घेतो।
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rebirth is conditioned by the dominant guṇic mixture: rajas with sattva leads to human birth, while rajas with tamas leads to birth among animals/birds. Ethical cultivation of sattva is implied as it supports a higher, more dharmically capable embodiment.
In a didactic discourse within Śānti Parva, the sage Yājñavalkya instructs his listener(s) on how the guṇas determine the destination of the jīva after death, mapping moral-psychological qualities to corresponding realms of birth.