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,तमको अन्धकाररूप और त्रिगुणमय समझना चाहिये। उसका दूसरा नाम मोह है। वह अधर्मको लक्षित करानेवाला और पाप करनेवाले लोगोंमें निश्चित रूपसे विद्यमान रहनेवाला है। तमोगुणका यह स्वरूप दूसरे गुणोंसे मिश्रित भी दिखायी देता है
naiśātmakaṃ tamo vidyāt triguṇaṃ mohasaṃjñitam | adharmalakṣaṇaṃ caiva niyataṃ pāpakarmasu | tāmasaṃ rūpam etat tu dṛśyate cāpi saṅghatam ||
Vāyu-deva said: ‘Know tamas to be of the nature of night and darkness—one of the three guṇas, also called delusion (moha). It is marked by adharma and is found as a settled tendency among those engaged in sinful acts. This is the form of tamas; and it is also seen to appear in combination, mixed with the other qualities.’
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.