Shloka 8
तमोगुण-निरूपण
Analysis of Tamas and its Marks
नैशात्मकं तमो विद्यात् त्रिगुणं मोहसंज्ञितम् । अधर्मलक्षणं चैव नियतं पापकर्मसु । तामसं रूपमेतत् तु दृश्यते चापि सड्भतम्
naiśātmakaṃ tamo vidyāt triguṇaṃ mohasaṃjñitam | adharmalakṣaṇaṃ caiva niyataṃ pāpakarmasu | tāmasaṃ rūpam etat tu dṛśyate cāpi saṅghatam ||
Vāyu-deva dit : «Sachez que tamas est de la nature de la nuit et des ténèbres : l’un des trois guṇa, appelé aussi moha (égarement). Il porte la marque de l’adharma et se trouve comme une disposition enracinée chez ceux qui s’adonnent aux actes fautifs. Telle est la forme de tamas ; et on le voit aussi paraître en combinaison, mêlé aux autres qualités.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tamas is defined as the dark, obscuring guṇa that produces moha (delusion), inclines one toward adharma, and becomes a stable disposition in those who persist in sinful conduct; it can also appear mixed with other guṇas rather than in a pure form.
In this passage Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener by describing the nature and ethical signs of tamas, distinguishing it as a cause of delusion and unrighteous behavior, while noting that in lived experience the guṇas often manifest in combination.