Shloka 74
An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord
एकांशतमसि ह्येवं विभागाञ्छृणु सत्तम / एकांशस्तु रजो ज्ञेयस्तमो ह्येका दशाधिकम्
ekāṃśatamasi hyevaṃ vibhāgāñchṛṇu sattama / ekāṃśastu rajo jñeyastamo hyekā daśādhikam
โอ้ผู้ประเสริฐ! จงฟังการแบ่งภายในทมัสหนึ่งส่วน: หนึ่งส่วนพึงรู้ว่าเป็นรชัส; ส่วนทมัสกล่าวว่าเป็นสิบเอ็ดส่วน (ยิ่งกว่า)
Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Internal composition within tamas: identification of a rajas portion and a tamas predominance (tamas exceeding by ten).
Vedantic Theme: Intermixture of guṇas (guṇa-saṅkara) within any state; even ‘tamas’ contains rajas—useful for nuanced self-observation.
Application: When feeling tamasic, look for the embedded rājasic impulse (irritability, compulsive action) and redirect it into sāttvika effort (cleaning, study, service).
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.4.72–75 (tamas subdivision and comparative measures)
FAQs
This verse frames ethical and spiritual life through the guna-doctrine, stating that tamas can predominate heavily, which explains why ignorance, inertia, and delusion become major causes behind unwholesome karma.
By indicating a strong dominance of tamas over rajas, the verse implies that a tamasic mind tends toward negligence and harmful actions, shaping karmic outcomes that later affect the jiva’s post-death journey and rebirth conditions.
Reduce tamas through disciplined routine, cleanliness, truthful conduct, and sattvic habits (study, charity, self-control), so that decisions are less driven by inertia and more aligned with dharma.