Shloka 67
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
हारिद्रवर्णे रक्ते वा वर्तमानस्तु पार्थिव । तिर्यगेवानुपश्येत कर्मभिस्तामसैर्वृत:,पृथ्वीनाथ! पीतवर्णवाले देवसर्गमें तथा रक्तवर्णवाले अनुग्रहसर्गमें विद्यमान प्राणी कभी तामस कर्मोंसे आवृत होकर तिर्यग्योनिका भी दर्शन कर सकता है
hāridra-varṇe rakte vā vartamānas tu pārthiva | tiryag evānupaśyet karmabhis tāmasair vṛtaḥ ||
युधिष्ठिर उवाच—पार्थिव! हारिद्रवर्णे रक्तवर्णे वा सर्गे वर्तमानोऽपि प्राणी, तामसैः कर्मभिरावृतः, तिर्यग्योनिं द्रष्टुं प्रवेष्टुं च शक्नोति।
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even if one is born or placed in a higher, more luminous condition, tamasic deeds can obscure discernment and pull the being into lower states such as animal birth; ethical conduct safeguards one’s trajectory.
In the Śānti Parva’s moral-philosophical dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king and reflects on how the quality of one’s actions (especially tamasic karma) can cause a fall from higher creations/conditions into lower embodiments.