Shloka 10
सर्गभेदाः — अविद्या, स्रोतोभेदाः, नव सर्गाः, देवासुरादिसृष्टिः, वेद-यज्ञप्रादुर्भावः
पश्वादयस् ते विख्यातास् तमःप्राया ह्य् अवेदिनः उत्पथग्राहिणश् चैव ते ऽज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिनः
paśvādayas te vikhyātās tamaḥprāyā hy avedinaḥ utpathagrāhiṇaś caiva te 'jñāne jñānamāninaḥ
Such beings—known from beasts onward—are dominated by darkness (tamas) and lack true discernment. They seize the wrong path and, abiding in ignorance, imagine themselves to be wise.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Characteristics of tiryak-srotas beings (animals): dominance of tamas and deluded cognition
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: compassionate
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Beastly modes of life are characterized by tamas, lack of discernment, and a tendency to pursue wrong paths while mistakenly presuming knowledge.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Guard against ‘animalistic’ tamas in oneself—impulsivity, self-deception, and complacency; cultivate viveka through sādhana, truthful self-audit, and guidance from śāstra and teachers.
Vishishtadvaita: Ignorance is a real obscuration affecting embodied selves (cit) within prakṛti; liberation requires the Lord’s grace accessed through right knowledge and devotion, not mere self-asserted ‘wisdom’.
FAQs
This verse treats tamas as the condition that suppresses discernment, causing beings to follow wrong paths and mistake ignorance for wisdom.
Parāśara characterizes delusion as a tamasic mindset: lacking real knowledge, choosing utpatha (misleading ways), and still claiming the status of the wise.
By highlighting tamasic confusion, the passage implicitly points to the need for true knowledge and right order (dharma) grounded in the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—as the ultimate source of clarity and liberation.