Shloka 26

तमोगुण-निरूपण

Analysis of Tamas and its Marks

Devanagari script

स्थावर (वृक्ष-पर्वत आदि) जीव, पशु, वाहन, राक्षस, सर्प, कीड़े-मकोड़े, पक्षी, अण्डज प्राणी, चौपाये, पागल, बहरे, गूँगे तथा अन्य जितने पापमय रोगवाले (कोढ़ी आदि) मनुष्य हैं, वे सब तमोगुणमें डूबे हुए हैं। अपने कर्मोंके अनुसार लक्षणोंवाले ये दुराचारी जीव सदा दुःखमें निमग्न रहते हैं। उनकी चित्तवृत्तियोंका प्रवाह निम्न दशाकी ओर होता है, इसलिये उन्हें अर्वाक्‌ स्रोता कहते हैं। वे तमोगुणमें निमग्न रहनेवाले सभी प्राणी तामसी हैं || २३-- २५ || तेषामुत्कर्षमुद्रेक॑ वक्ष्याम्यहमत: परम्‌ । यथा ते सुकृताललोकॉल्लभन्ते पुण्यकर्मिण:,इसके पश्चात्‌ मैं यह वर्णन करूँगा कि उन तामसी योनियोंमें गये हुए प्राणियोंका उत्थान और समृद्धि किस प्रकार होती है तथा वे पुण्यकर्मा होकर किस प्रकार श्रेष्ठ लोकोंको प्राप्त होते हैं

Transliteration

vāyudeva uvāca | sthāvarāḥ (vṛkṣa-parvata-ādayaḥ) jīvāḥ, paśavaḥ, vāhanāni, rākṣasāḥ, sarpāḥ, kīṭa-pataṅgāḥ, pakṣiṇaḥ, aṇḍajāḥ prāṇinaḥ, catuṣpadāḥ, unmattāḥ, badhirāḥ, mūkāḥ tathā anye yāvantaḥ pāpamaya-rogavantaḥ (kuṣṭhina-ādayaḥ) manuṣyāḥ santi, te sarve tamoguṇe nimagnāḥ | svakarmaṇā yathā-lakṣaṇā ime durācāriṇaḥ jīvāḥ sadā duḥkhe nimagnā bhavanti | teṣāṃ cittavṛttīnāṃ pravāho nimna-daśāyāṃ gacchati, tasmāt te arvāk-srotasa iti ucyante | te tamoguṇe nimagnāḥ sarve prāṇinaḥ tāmasāḥ || 23–25 || teṣām utkarṣam udrekaṃ vakṣyāmy aham ataḥ param | yathā te sukṛtāl lokāl labhante puṇyakarmiṇaḥ ||

Translation

Vāyu said: All beings such as immobile life-forms (trees, mountains and the like), animals, beasts of burden, rākṣasas, serpents, insects and worms, birds, egg-born creatures, four-footed animals, and also humans who are mad, deaf, mute, or afflicted with sinful diseases (such as leprosy)—all of them are submerged in the quality of darkness (tamas). Marked by the signs produced by their own deeds, these ill-conducted beings remain continually immersed in suffering. Since the current of their mental tendencies flows downward toward a lower condition, they are called ‘those whose stream runs downward’ (arvāk-srotas). All creatures sunk in tamas are thus termed tāmasa. Thereafter I shall explain how those who have fallen into such tamasic wombs can rise and prosper, and how, by becoming doers of merit, they attain higher worlds.

Word by Word

• {'vāyudeva uvāca': 'Vāyu (the Wind-god) said', 'sthāvara': 'immobile being

• stationary life-form (e.g., tree, mountain)', 'jīva / prāṇin': 'living being

• creature', 'paśu': 'animal

• beast', 'vāhana': 'mount

• vehicle-animal', 'rākṣasa': 'rākṣasa

• a class of fierce beings/demons', 'sarpa': 'serpent', 'kīṭa (kīṭa-pataṅga)': 'insect

• creeping creature', 'pakṣin': 'bird', 'aṇḍaja': 'egg-born creature', 'catuṣpada': 'four-footed animal', 'unmatta': 'mad

• deranged', 'badhira': 'deaf', 'mūka': 'mute', 'pāpamaya-roga (kuṣṭhin)': 'sin-associated disease

• leper (as an example in the passage)', 'tamoguṇa': 'the guṇa of darkness, inertia, delusion', 'nimagna': 'submerged

• immersed', 'svakarman': 'one’s own action/karma', 'yathā-lakṣaṇa': 'having corresponding marks/signs

• characterized accordingly', 'durācārin': 'ill-conducted

• of bad behavior', 'duḥkha': 'suffering', 'cittavṛtti': 'mental modification

• tendency of mind', 'pravāha': 'flow

• current', 'nimna-daśā': 'lower condition/state', 'arvāk-srotas': 'one whose stream flows downward

• downward-tending', 'tāmasa': 'tamasic

• dominated by tamas', 'utkarṣa': 'uplift

• rise', 'udreka': 'increase

• flourishing', 'sukṛta': 'merit

• good deed', 'puṇyakarman': 'performer of meritorious acts', 'śreṣṭha-loka (implied by ‘higher worlds’)': 'higher/ श्रेष्ठ realms attained by merit'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• तमोगुण (tamas)
• राक्षस (rākṣasa)
• सर्प (serpents)
• पक्षी (birds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Beings dominated by tamas experience a downward pull in conduct and consciousness, resulting in suffering; yet even from tamasic conditions, uplift is possible through the cultivation of merit (sukṛta/puṇya) and ethical action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva classifies various forms of life and afflicted human conditions as tamasic due to their downward-flowing mental tendencies (arvāk-srotas), then signals a transition: he will next explain the process by which such beings can rise and attain higher worlds through meritorious deeds.