Shloka 13

तमोगुण-निरूपण

Analysis of Tamas and its Marks

Devanagari script

अस्मृतिश्नचाविपाकश्च नास्तिकयं भिन्नवृत्तिता | निर्विशेषत्वमन्धत्वं जघन्यगुणवृत्तिता

Transliteration

asmṛtiś ca avipākaś ca nāstikyaṁ bhinnavṛttitā | nirviśeṣatvam andhatvaṁ jaghanyaguṇavṛttitā

Translation

வாயுதேவர் கூறினார்— அத்தகைய வழியால் நினைவும் விவேகமும் அழிகின்றன; செயல்களின் பலன் முற்றாததும் பயனற்றதுமாகிறது; நம்பிக்கையின்மை (நாஸ்திகம்) மற்றும் சிதைந்த, ஒற்றுமையற்ற நடத்தை தோன்றுகிறது. அப்போது மனிதன் நெறி வேறுபாட்டை அறியாத குருட்டுத்தனத்தில் விழுந்து, கீழ்மையான குணங்களாலும் பழக்கங்களாலும் வாழ்கிறான்.

Word by Word

• अस्मृतिः: forgetfulness, lack of memory
• अस्मृतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मृति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• श्नच: and (enclitic particle; reading uncertain)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्नच

• अविपाकः: non-maturation; lack of ripening (of intellect/understanding)
• अविपाकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविपाक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• नास्तिक्यम्: atheism; disbelief
• नास्तिक्यम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भिन्नवृत्तिता: deviant conduct; having a different (improper) mode of life
• भिन्नवृत्तिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिन्न-वृत्ति-ता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• निर्विशेषत्वम्: lack of distinction; non-discriminating state
• निर्विशेषत्वम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्विशेष-त्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अन्धत्वम्: blindness
• अन्धत्वम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्ध-त्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जघन्यगुणवृत्तिता: base/low-quality conduct; conduct characterized by inferior qualities
• जघन्यगुणवृत्तिता: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जघन्य-गुण-वृत्ति-ता
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu-deva

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that abandoning dharma and steady right conduct leads to inner collapse: forgetfulness of moral truth, disbelief, confused and inconsistent behavior, loss of discrimination, and a descent into base qualities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking as a moral instructor, listing the degrading mental and ethical consequences that follow from a wrong path—portraying how adharma produces spiritual blindness and low conduct.