Shloka 12
तमोगुण-निरूपण
Analysis of Tamas and its Marks
सम्मोहोऊज्ञानमत्याग: कर्मणामविनिर्णय: । स्वप्न: स्तम्भो भयं लोभ: स्वत: सुकृतदूषणम्
vāyudeva uvāca | sammoho 'jñānam atyāgaḥ karmaṇām avinirṇayaḥ | svapnaḥ stambho bhayaṁ lobhaḥ svataḥ sukṛtadūṣaṇam | tatra tatra niyamyante sarve te tāmasā guṇāḥ |
风神伐由说道：“迷妄、无明、不肯舍离、不能裁断自身所作、昏睡与沉滞、意志麻痹、恐惧、贪欲，以及连对自己所行善业也习于挑剔过失——此等诸相与其同类，皆为黑暗之性——惰性（tamas）所统摄。就伦理而言，这些便是识别惰性的标记：它遮蔽辨别，削弱决断，使人背离正行。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies hallmark traits of tamas—delusion, ignorance, indecision, lethargy, fear, greed, and even mistrusting one’s own good deeds—and frames them as forces that obstruct clear judgment and righteous action.
Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, explaining the nature of the guṇas. Here he characterizes tamas by listing the mental and ethical defects through which it manifests in human conduct.