Shloka 38
तमसा च महाराज रजसा च विशेषत: । न किंचित् प्रत्यपश्याम शुभं वा यदि वाशुभम्
tamasā ca mahārāja rajasā ca viśeṣataḥ | na kiñcit pratyapaśyāma śubhaṃ vā yadi vāśubham ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «Oh gran rey, envueltos por la oscuridad—y, sobre todo, por el polvo turbulento—no podíamos percibir nada en absoluto, fuese auspicioso o infausto».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When tamas (obscuring darkness) and rajas (agitating turbulence) dominate, discernment collapses: one cannot distinguish what is wholesome or harmful. Ethically, it warns that passion and delusion in conflict cloud judgment and make right action difficult.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has become so dark and dust-choked—symbolically and literally—that observers cannot make out events or even judge whether the signs are auspicious or ominous.