Shloka 67
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
हारिद्रवर्णे रक्ते वा वर्तमानस्तु पार्थिव । तिर्यगेवानुपश्येत कर्मभिस्तामसैर्वृत:
hāridra-varṇe rakte vā vartamānas tu pārthiva | tiryag evānupaśyet karmabhis tāmasair vṛtaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O hari, ang isang nilalang na nasa paglikhang may dilaw na kulay (makalangit) o maging sa paglikhang may pulang kulay (pinagpala) ay maaari—kapag nabalot ng mga gawaing tamasiko—na masilayan, at tunay na mapasok, ang kalagayan ng kapanganakang hayop. Kaya’t kahit ang mataas na antas ay hindi tiyak kapag ang asal ay lumulubog sa dilim.”
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.