Shloka 166
तमोगुण-निरूपण
Analysis of Tamas and its Marks
तत्र तत्र नियम्यन्ते सर्वे ते तामसा गुणा: । मोह
tatra tatra niyamyante sarve te tāmasā guṇāḥ | mohaḥ, ajñānam, tyāgasyābhāvaḥ, karmāṇāṁ nirṇayaṁ na kartum aśakyatā, nidrā, garvaḥ, bhayam, lobhaḥ, svayaṁ śubha-karmasu doṣa-darśanam, smaraṇa-śakter abhāvaḥ, pariṇāmaṁ na cintayitum, nāstikatā, duścaritratā, nirviśeṣatā (śubha-aśubha-vivekābhāvaḥ), indriyāṇāṁ śaithilyam, hiṁsādi-nindya-doṣeṣu pravṛttiḥ, akāryaṁ kāryam iti ca ajñānaṁ jñānam iti ca manyanam, śatrutā, kārye manaḥ na lagnaṁ, aśraddhā, mūrkha-vicāraḥ, kuṭilatā, anavabodhaḥ, pāpa-karaṇam, ajñāna-ālasyādi-kāraṇāt dehasya gauravam, bhāva-bhakter abhāvaḥ, ajitendriyatā, nīca-karmasu anurāgaḥ—ete sarve durguṇāḥ tamo-guṇasya kāryāṇi proktāḥ | etebhyaḥ anyā api yā yā iha loke niṣiddhā matāḥ, tāḥ sarvāḥ tāmasya eva |
风神伐由说道：“以种种方式，一切由惰性（tamas）所生之相，皆可被制伏而得以识别：迷惑与无明；无出离之心；不能裁断当作何事；昏睡；傲慢；恐惧；贪欲；甚至于自身善行亦见其过；失念；不思后果；不信更高真理；恶行；不辨是非；诸根懈怠；趋入暴力等可责之恶习；以不当作为当作，以无知为知识；怨敌之心；对本分之业无兴趣；无信；愚思；诡诈；不解；造罪；因无明与懒惰而身重；无由衷之奉爱（bhakti）；诸根不调；恋著卑下之行——此皆宣说为惰性之果。凡此世间所称禁戒之事，亦同属惰性。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage defines tamas through its observable ethical and psychological effects—delusion, inertia, lack of discernment, faithlessness, cruelty, and attachment to base actions—and implies that dharmic life requires recognizing and restraining these tendencies.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a teacher, enumerating the marks of tamas to guide the listener’s moral self-assessment and to distinguish forbidden, degrading impulses from conduct aligned with dharma.