Shloka 14

तमोगुण-निरूपण

Analysis of Tamas and its Marks

Devanagari script

अकृते कृतमानित्वमज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिता । अमैत्री विकृताभावो हा श्रद्धा मूढठभावना

Transliteration

akṛte kṛtamānitvam ajñāne jñānamānitā | amaitrī vikṛtābhāvo hā śraddhā mūḍhaṭhabhāvanā ||

Translation

Vāyu said: “To take pride in deeds not actually done; to imagine oneself wise while remaining ignorant; the absence of friendliness; a warped and perverted disposition; the loss of faith; and a stubborn, deluded way of thinking—these are marks of inner corruption and ethical downfall.”

Word by Word

अकृतेin what is not done / in the undone

कृतमानित्वम्pride of having done (it)

अज्ञानेin ignorance

ज्ञानमानिताself-conceit of knowledge / being regarded (by oneself) as knowledgeable

अमैत्रीunfriendliness

विकृताभावःperverted disposition / distorted state of being

हाalas! / ah!

श्रद्धाfaith

मूढभावनाdeluded thinking / foolish attitude

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)

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 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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.