Shloka 36
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
अवमानस्तथा मोह: प्रमाद: स्वप्रतन्द्रिता । कथंचिदभिवर्तन्ते विविधास्तामसा गुणा:,इसी प्रकार जब अपमान, मोह, प्रमाद, स्वप्न, निद्रा और आलस्य आदि दोष किसी तरह भी घेरते हों तो उन्हें तमोगुणके ही विविध रूप समझे
avamānas tathā mohaḥ pramādaḥ svapratandritā | kathaṃcid abhivartante vividhās tāmasā guṇāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Disrespect and humiliation, delusion, heedlessness, and one’s own drowsy inertia—when such faults, in whatever manner, come to surround a person, they should be understood as the many manifestations of tamas (the dark, obstructive quality). Ethically, the teaching is to recognize these states not as harmless moods but as tamasic forces that cloud judgment and weaken self-governance, thereby undermining right conduct.
भीष्म उवाच