तमोगुण-निरूपण
Analysis of Tamas and its Marks
अकृते कृतमानित्वमज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिता । अमैत्री विकृताभावो हा श्रद्धा मूढठभावना
akṛte kṛtamānitvam ajñāne jñānamānitā | amaitrī vikṛtābhāvo hā śraddhā mūḍhaṭhabhāvanā ||
Wika ni Vāyu: “Ang ipagmalaki ang gawaing hindi naman nagawa; ang magpanggap na marunong habang nananatiling mangmang; ang kawalan ng pakikipagkaibigan; ang baluktot at masamang pag-uugali; ang pagkawala ng pananampalataya; at ang matigas-ulong, naliligaw na pag-iisip—ito ang mga tanda ng pagkabulok sa loob at pagbagsak sa asal.”
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse lists ethical failings that signal moral decline: boasting of unperformed deeds, claiming knowledge while ignorant, lacking goodwill toward others, developing a distorted temperament, losing śraddhā (faith in dharma), and clinging stubbornly to deluded notions. Together they warn against self-deception and the erosion of character.
In this passage of the Aśvamedhika Parva, Vāyudeva speaks as a moral instructor, enumerating inner vices and psychological traits that lead a person away from dharma. The focus is didactic—diagnosing corrupt tendencies rather than describing an external action.