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 ||
玉提施提罗说道：“大王啊，众生即便现处于黄色光辉的天界造化之中，或处于红色光辉的蒙恩造化之中，一旦被昏暗（tamas）之业所覆，也可能见到——乃至堕入——畜生之生。故而，若行持沉入黑暗，即使高位亦不稳固。”
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.