Shloka 22
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
तत् तेरहं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि
tad etad ahaṃ sampravakṣyāmi yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi | yat tu sammohasaṃyuktam avyaktaviṣayaṃ bhavet | apratarkyam avijñeyaṃ tamas tad upadhāryatām ||
毗耶娑说道：“我现在将为你解说你所问之事。若生起一种与迷妄相系的状态——所缘之境变得模糊不明，推理亦不能及，且无法清楚了知——当知这是‘昏暗之性’（tamas，黑暗与惰性的德性）在起作用。”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa gives a diagnostic mark of tamas: when delusion dominates so that the object becomes unclear, reasoning cannot function effectively, and clear knowledge does not arise, one should recognize the predominance of tamas-guṇa.
In a didactic exchange in the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa responds to a question by outlining a principle of inner discernment—how to identify a tamasic mental state by its confusion, obscurity, and incapacity for clear understanding.