Shloka 14
तमोगुण-निरूपण
Analysis of Tamas and its Marks
अकृते कृतमानित्वमज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिता । अमैत्री विकृताभावो हा श्रद्धा मूढठभावना
akṛte kṛtamānitvam ajñāne jñānamānitā | amaitrī vikṛtābhāvo hā śraddhā mūḍhaṭhabhāvanā ||
قال فايُو: «أن يفتخر المرء بما لم يفعله، وأن يتوهّم الحكمة وهو باقٍ على الجهل، وغيابُ المودّة، واعوجاجُ الطبع وانحرافُه، وضياعُ الإيمان، وطريقةُ تفكيرٍ عنيدةٍ مضلَّلة—فهذه علامات الفساد الباطن والانحدار الأخلاقي.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lists ethical failings that signal moral decline: boasting of unperformed deeds, claiming knowledge while ignorant, lacking goodwill toward others, developing a distorted temperament, losing śraddhā (faith in dharma), and clinging stubbornly to deluded notions. Together they warn against self-deception and the erosion of character.
In this passage of the Aśvamedhika Parva, Vāyudeva speaks as a moral instructor, enumerating inner vices and psychological traits that lead a person away from dharma. The focus is didactic—diagnosing corrupt tendencies rather than describing an external action.