Shloka 33
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
अथ यन्मोहसंयुक्तमव्यक्तविषयं भवेत् | अप्रतर्क्यमविज्ञेयं तमस्तदुपधारयेत्
atha yan moha-saṁyuktam avyaktaviṣayaṁ bhavet | apratarkyam avijñeyaṁ tamas tad upadhārayet ||
Bhīṣma dit : Lorsqu’un état d’esprit surgit, enlacé dans la confusion—l’objet y est indistinct, le raisonnement n’y parvient pas, et l’on ne peut le comprendre clairement—qu’on le reconnaisse comme la domination de tamas (la qualité de l’obscurité et de l’inertie).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A mind-state marked by delusion, unclear objects of awareness, and the failure of reasoning and understanding should be identified as tamas increasing; ethical practice begins with correctly diagnosing such inner darkness rather than acting from it.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira how to recognize the guṇas in one’s own mind; here he gives diagnostic signs of tamas—confusion, obscurity, and cognitive paralysis.