Shloka 22
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
तत् तेरहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि
tad etad ahaṃ sampravakṣyāmi yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi | yat tu sammohasaṃyuktam avyaktaviṣayaṃ bhavet | apratarkyam avijñeyaṃ tamas tad upadhāryatām ||
Vyāsa dit : «Je vais maintenant t’expliquer ce que tu me demandes. Lorsqu’un état surgit, lié à l’illusion—où l’objet devient indistinct, où le raisonnement n’y parvient plus et où l’on ne peut le connaître clairement—il faut comprendre que c’est tamas (la qualité des ténèbres et de l’inertie) qui est à l’œuvre.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa gives a diagnostic mark of tamas: when delusion dominates so that the object becomes unclear, reasoning cannot function effectively, and clear knowledge does not arise, one should recognize the predominance of tamas-guṇa.
In a didactic exchange in the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa responds to a question by outlining a principle of inner discernment—how to identify a tamasic mental state by its confusion, obscurity, and incapacity for clear understanding.