Shloka 26

तमोगुण-निरूपण

Analysis of Tamas and its Marks

Devanagari script

स्थावर (वृक्ष-पर्वत आदि) जीव

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

ພະວາຍຸກ່າວວ່າ: «ສັດທັງຫຼາຍ ເຊັ່ນ ສິ່ງມີຊີວິດຢູ່ນິ່ງ (ຕົ້ນໄມ້, ພູເຂົາ ແລະອື່ນໆ), ສັດເດີນ, ສັດພາຫະນະ, ຣາກສະ (rākṣasa), ງູ, ແມງໄມ້ແລະໜອນ, ນົກ, ສັດເກີດຈາກໄຂ່, ສັດສີ່ຂາ, ທັງມະນຸດທີ່ບ້າ, ຫູໜວກ, ໃບ້, ຫຼືຖືກທຸກທໍລະມານດ້ວຍໂລກອັນເກີດຈາກບາບ (ເຊັ່ນ ໂລກເຮື້ອ/ເລັບຣາ) — ທັງໝົດນີ້ຈົມຢູ່ໃນຄຸນະແຫ່ງຄວາມມືດ (tamas). ຖືກໝາຍໄວ້ຕາມກຳຂອງຕົນ ແລະມີຄວາມປະພຶດເສື່ອມຊາມ, ພວກເຂົາຈົມຢູ່ໃນຄວາມທຸກຢ່າງຕໍ່ເນື່ອງ. ເນື່ອງຈາກກະແສແນວໂນ້ມຂອງຈິດໃຈໄຫຼລົງສູ່ສະພາບຕ່ຳ ຈຶ່ງເອີ້ນວ່າ ‘ຜູ້ທີ່ກະແສໄຫຼລົງ’ (arvāk-srotas). ສັດທັງປວງທີ່ຈົມໃນ tamas ຈຶ່ງເອີ້ນວ່າ tāmasa. ຕໍ່ຈາກນັ້ນ ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະອະທິບາຍວ່າ ຜູ້ທີ່ຕົກໄປໃນຄັນກຳເນີດອັນຕາມະສະນັ້ນ ຈະຍົກຕົນຂຶ້ນ ແລະເຈີຣິນໄດ້ຢ່າງໃດ, ແລະໂດຍການເປັນຜູ້ກະທຳບຸນ ຈະໄດ້ບັນລຸໂລກອັນສູງສົ່ງແນວໃດ».

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.