Shloka 51
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
यथा कश्रिद् वन॑ घोरं बहुसर्पसरीसूपम् । श्वभ्रवत् तोयहीनं च दुर्गमें बहुकण्टकम्
yathā kaścid vanaṁ ghoraṁ bahu-sarpa-sarīsṛpam | śvabhravat toyahīnaṁ ca durgamaṁ bahu-kaṇṭakam ||
毗湿摩说道：正如只有极少数人能安然穿越那可怖的森林——如同无水深壑——其中群蛇与诸爬行之物滋生，行路艰涩、荆棘丛生，资粮难得而危机四伏；同样，唯有极少数的“二生者”（dvija），依止瑜伽之道，方能在其上顺利前行，因为此道被说充满诸多过失与艰难。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the yogic path is intrinsically difficult and perilous—like crossing a deadly, thorny, waterless forest—and therefore only a rare, well-prepared practitioner can proceed safely; it calls for vigilance, endurance, and freedom from common pitfalls.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on higher dharma and spiritual disciplines. Here he uses a vivid simile of a dangerous forest journey to explain why progress on the path of Yoga is uncommon and requires exceptional steadiness.