Shloka 27
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
अविद्या रागमोहौ च प्रमाद: स्तब्धता भयम्
avidyā rāga-mohau ca pramādaḥ stabdhatā bhayam | yadi kasyāṁcit prakāreṇa avidyā rāga moha pramāda stabdhatā bhaya daridratā dīnatā pramohaḥ (mūrcchā) svapna nidrā ālasya-ādayo doṣā āgheratāṁ tarhi tān tamo-guṇasyaiva vividha-rūpān jānīyāt |
毗湿摩说：无明、贪染与迷惑、放逸、心识僵滞与恐惧——若这些在任何情形下生起并围困一人，又伴随贫困、沮丧、昏沉（乃至昏厥）、梦境、睡眠、懒惰等诸过失，当知这一切不过是惰暗之性——塔摩斯（tamas，昏暗与迟钝之质）的种种显现。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
These faults—ignorance, attachment, delusion, negligence, rigidity, fear, and related states like sleep and laziness—are to be understood as expressions of tamas. The remedy implied is to reduce tamas by cultivating awareness, discipline, and clarity.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira to interpret certain mental and behavioral failings as manifestations of the tamasic quality, helping him classify and address them systematically.