tamas tv ajñāna-jaḿ viddhi
mohanaḿ sarva-dehinām
pramādālasya-nidrābhis
tan nibadhnāti bhārata
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 14.8
O son of Bharata, know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
In this verse the specific application of the word tu is very significant. This means that the mode of ignorance is a very peculiar qualification of the embodied soul. The mode of ignorance is just the opposite of the mode of goodness. In the mode of goodness, by development of knowledge, one can understand what is what, but the mode of ignorance is just the opposite. Everyone under the spell of the mode of ignorance becomes mad, and a madman cannot understand what is what. Instead of making advancement, one becomes degraded. The definition of the mode of ignorance is stated in the Vedic literature. Vastu-yathatmya-jnanavarakam viparyaya-jnana-janakam tamah: under the spell of ignorance, one cannot understand a thing as it is. For example, everyone can see that his grandfather has died and therefore he will also die; man is mortal. The children that he conceives will also die. So death is sure. Still, people are madly accumulating money and working very hard all day and night, not caring for the eternal spirit. This is madness. In their madness, they are very reluctant to make advancement in spiritual understanding. Such people are very lazy. When they are invited to associate for spiritual understanding, they are not much interested. They are not even active like the man who is controlled by the mode of passion. Thus another symptom of one embedded in the mode of ignorance is that he sleeps more than is required. Six hours of sleep is sufficient, but a man in the mode of ignorance sleeps at least ten or twelve hours a day. Such a man appears to be always dejected and is addicted to intoxicants and sleeping. These are the symptoms of a person conditioned by the mode of ignorance.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
If tamas tv ajnana jam means “tama guna arising from ignorance,” then tama guna would appear to arise from its own result, since tama guna produces ignorance. Therefore the meaning of ajnana jam must be that tama guna produces ignorance. Mohanam means confusion or error. Pramada means inattention. Alasyam means lack of effort. Nidra means sleep, arising from lack of energy in the consciousness.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
14.8 By ‘false knowledge’ is here to be understood as what is other than knowledge. What is called knowledge is right perception of things. What is other than this is false knowledge. And Tamas springs from knowledge contrary to the true nature of thinngs. It deludes all embodied selves. Delusion is erroneous knowledge. The meaning is that Tamas is the cause of erroneous knowledge. Being the cause of negligence, indolence and sleep, it binds the embodied self through them. ‘Negligence’ is inattentiveness, which causes one to perform works other than what ought to be done. ‘Indolence’ is the tendency to avoid work; it may even develop into absolute inaction. ‘Sleep.’ is the state in which the external organs stop working due to exhaustion and seek to recover from the same. In sleep when only the outgoing actionof the senses stop, it is called dream state. When even the mind (Manas) ceases to function, it is called dreamless sleep. He states the cardinal feature forming the ways of bondage through Sattva etc.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
The binding nature of tamas or mode of ignorance and its characteristics are now stated by Lord Krishna. The word tamas means darkness and is arises from that part of prakriti or the material substratum that pervades physical existence, that possesses the power of mohanam being that which deludes into illusion, concealing the true perception. This power has the ability to confound and bewilder all jivas or embodied beings. Hence tamas binds imperiously the jivas through pramada or madness, alasya or indolence and nidrabhis or sleep. Pramada can also includes listlessness and mental fragmentation. Alasya can also include laziness and dullness and nidrabhis can also include inaction of the mind due to inebriation or exhaustion.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
The binding nature of tamas or mode of ignorance and its characteristics are now stated by Lord Krishna. The word tamas means darkness and is arises from that part of prakriti or the material substratum that pervades physical existence, that possesses the power of mohanam being that which deludes into illusion, concealing the true perception. This power has the ability to confound and bewilder all jivas or embodied beings. Hence tamas binds imperiously the jivas through pramada or madness, alasya or indolence and nidrabhis or sleep. Pramada can also includes listlessness and mental fragmentation. Alasya can also include laziness and dullness and nidrabhis can also include inaction of the mind due to inebriation or exhaustion.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Now Lord Krishna defines tama guna or the mode of ignorance. The word tamas means darkness and is typified by nescience and inertia. It is subject to the greatest delusion that imagines a permanent and pleasant experience in a temporary and unpleasant existence. Those humans that look upon themselves as being their physical body like the animals do and who accept their physical body as being all that they are all hopelessly situated in ajnana or absence of knowledge which is the antithesis of jnana or wisdom. Jnana is the accurate precise understanding whereas ajnana is the inaccurate perverted understanding. The inaccurate perverted understanding binds the jiva or embodied being through pramada or madness which includes listlessness and bewilderment, alasya or indolence which includes sluggishness and laziness and nidrbhis or sleep which includes inebriation. Sleep is the cessation of bodily organs arising from mental and physical exhaustion. All of these are permanently situated in tama guna and invoking ignorance tightly bind the jiva.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
14.8 Viddhi, know; tamas, the third qualitty; mahanam, which deludes, which is a cause of indiscrimination; sarva-dehinam, of all embodied beings; to be ajnanajam, born of ignorance. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, tat, that tamas; nibadhnati, binds; pramada-alasya-nidrabhih, through inadvertence, laziness and sleep. The activities of the qualities are again being briefly stated:
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
14.6-8 Tatra etc. upto Bharata. The Sattva is dirtless. [Source of craving-attachment] : that from which the attachment of craving springs up. Negligence : wasting the human birth which is difficult to get, but got by means of hundreds of merits accumulated for a very long period, and which is the sole means for attaining emancipation. That has been also said- ‘Not even a single moment of life is gained by (spending] all the gems. [Hence], he, who wastes it, is a man of negligence and is the lowest of men’. Laziness : i.e., in doing good deeds. Sleep : being poor totally i.e. a contemptible course.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
tamas tv ajñana-jam viddhi
mohanam sarva-dehinam
pramadalasya-nidrabhis
tan nibadhnati bharata
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance; tu — but; ajñāna-jam — produced of ignorance; viddhi — know; mohanam — the delusion; sarva-dehinām — of all embodied beings; pramāda — with madness; ālasya — indolence; nidrābhiḥ — and sleep; tat — that; nibadhnāti — binds; bhārata — O son of Bharata.
