Shloka 33
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
यदि सन्तं सेवति यद्यसन्तं तपस्विनं यदि वा स्तेनमेव । वासो यथा रंगवशं प्रयाति तथा स तेषां वशमभ्युपैति
yadi santaṁ sevati yady asantaṁ tapasvinaṁ yadi vā stenam eva | vāso yathā raṅgavaśaṁ prayāti tathā sa teṣāṁ vaśam abhyupaiti ||
若人与贤者相交，或与恶人相交；与苦行者相交，甚至与盗贼相交——便会受其影响。正如布投入何种染料便呈何色，人也会因所结交之人而变得相似，染上他们的品性与行径。
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s character is shaped by association: keeping company with the virtuous cultivates virtue, while associating with the wicked or criminals leads one to adopt their qualities—like cloth absorbing the dye it is placed in.
Haṁsa speaks in a didactic context within Śānti Parva, using a simple metaphor (cloth taking dye) to instruct that companionship and service/attendance (sevanā) place one under another’s influence, thereby transforming one’s conduct and disposition.