Shloka 31
अथ यन्मोहसंयुक्तं काये मनसि वा भवेत् | अप्रतर्क्यमविज्ञेयं तमस्तदुपधारयेत्,शरीर या मनमें जो अतर्क्य, अज्ञेय एवं मोह-संयुक्त भाव प्रादुर्भूत हो, उसको तमोगुणजनित जानना चाहिये
atha yan mohasaṁyuktaṁ kāye manasi vā bhavet | apratarkyam avijñeyaṁ tamas tad upadhārayet |
Bhishma said: Whatever state arises in the body or in the mind that is bound up with delusion—beyond reasoning and not truly knowable—one should recognize that as born of tamas (the quality of darkness and inertia).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches a diagnostic principle of character and conduct: when a bodily or mental condition is dominated by delusion and becomes resistant to clear reasoning and true understanding, it should be identified as tamasic. Recognizing tamas is the first step toward cultivating clarity and right action.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by describing how the guṇas manifest in lived experience. Here he marks the tamasic mode by its hallmark—moha that clouds both body and mind and blocks discernment.