न धर्मशस्त्रं पठतीति कारणं
न चापि वेदाध्ययने दुरात्मनः ।
स्वभाव एवत्र तथातिरिच्यते
यथा प्रकृत्या मधुरं गवां पयः ॥
na dharma-śāstraṁ paṭhatīti kāraṇaṁ
na cāpi vedādhyayanaṁ durātmanaḥ |
svabhāva evātra tathātiricyate
yathā prakṛtyā madhuraṁ gavāṁ payaḥ ||
(Hitopadeśa: Mitra-lābha, 17)
“Neither reciting dharma-śāstras nor studying the Veda are means for [reforming] a wicked person. The svabhāva [i.e., one’s conditioned nature] alone prevails herein, just as cows milk is naturally sweet.”