Shloka 8
Adhyāya 314 — हिमवदाश्रमः, शक्तिक्षेपकथा, तथा स्वाध्यायविधिः
Himalayan Hermitage, the Myth of the Thrown Spear, and Rules of Vedic Study
रज:सत्त्वसमायुक्तो मानुषेषु प्रपद्यते रजस्तमोभ्यां संयुक्तस्तिर्यग्योनिषु जायते
rajaḥ-sattva-samāyukto mānuṣeṣu prapadyate | rajas-tamobhyāṃ saṃyuktas tiryag-yoniṣu jāyate ||
耶若那伐迦阐明：灵魂来世之身，随诸德性（guṇa）的偏胜而定。罗阇斯与萨埵相合，则生于人间；罗阇斯与塔摩斯相合，则堕生于禽兽之类的胎藏之中。
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rebirth is conditioned by the dominant guṇic mixture: rajas with sattva leads to human birth, while rajas with tamas leads to birth among animals/birds. Ethical cultivation of sattva is implied as it supports a higher, more dharmically capable embodiment.
In a didactic discourse within Śānti Parva, the sage Yājñavalkya instructs his listener(s) on how the guṇas determine the destination of the jīva after death, mapping moral-psychological qualities to corresponding realms of birth.