Shloka 13

तमोगुण-निरूपण

Analysis of Tamas and its Marks

Devanagari script

अस्मृतिश्नचाविपाकश्च नास्तिकयं भिन्नवृत्तिता | निर्विशेषत्वमन्धत्वं जघन्यगुणवृत्तिता

Transliteration

asmṛtiś ca avipākaś ca nāstikyaṁ bhinnavṛttitā | nirviśeṣatvam andhatvaṁ jaghanyaguṇavṛttitā

Translation

Vāyu-deva said: “From such a course arise loss of right memory and discernment, an unripe and fruitless outcome of actions, disbelief, and a fractured, inconsistent conduct. One falls into a state of moral indistinction and blindness, living by the lowest qualities and habits.”

Word by Word

अस्मृतिःforgetfulness, lack of memory

श्नचand (enclitic particle; reading uncertain)

अविपाकःnon-maturation; lack of ripening (of intellect/understanding)

चand

नास्तिक्यम्atheism; disbelief

भिन्नवृत्तिताdeviant conduct; having a different (improper) mode of life

निर्विशेषत्वम्lack of distinction; non-discriminating state

अन्धत्वम्blindness

जघन्यगुणवृत्तिताbase/low-quality conduct; conduct characterized by inferior qualities

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu-deva

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that abandoning dharma and steady right conduct leads to inner collapse: forgetfulness of moral truth, disbelief, confused and inconsistent behavior, loss of discrimination, and a descent into base qualities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking as a moral instructor, listing the degrading mental and ethical consequences that follow from a wrong path—portraying how adharma produces spiritual blindness and low conduct.