Shloka 120
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
वेदा न प्रतिभान्ति सम ऋषीणां भावितात्मनाम् | देवान् रजस्तमश्वैव समाविविशतुस्तदा,पवित्रात्मा ऋषियोंको वेदोंका स्मरण नहीं हो पाता था। उस समय देवताओंमें रजोगुण और तमोगुणका आवेश हो गया था
vedā na pratibhānti sama ṛṣīṇāṁ bhāvitātmanām | devān rajastamaś caiva samāviviśatus tadā ||
Arjuna sagte: „Selbst die Veden leuchteten nicht mehr klar im Geist der Weisen, deren Selbst geläutert und gezügelt war. In jener Stunde drangen auch Leidenschaft (rajas) und Finsternis (tamas) in die Götter ein und überwältigten sie.“
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that when rajas (agitation) and tamas (delusion) dominate, clarity of sacred knowledge is veiled—even for disciplined sages—and the moral-spiritual order symbolized by the gods becomes disturbed. Ethical discernment depends on inner purity and the predominance of sattva.
Arjuna describes a time of decline or imbalance: sages cannot readily recall or apprehend the Vedas, and simultaneously the gods are said to be seized by rajas and tamas. This depicts a broader cosmic and moral disarray where guidance and memory of dharma are obscured.