Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 8 (BG 14.8) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

14.8 तमः inertia? तु but? अज्ञानजम् born of ignorance? विद्धि know? मोहनम् deluding? सर्वदेहिनाम् to all,embodied beings? प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिः by heedlessness? indolence and sleep? तत् that? निबध्नाति binds fast? भारत O descendant of Bharata (Arjuna).Commentary Tamas is that binding force with a tendency to lethargy? sloth and foolish actions. It causes delusion or nondiscrimination. It binds him who associates the Self with the body. A Tamasic man acts under the compulsion of the wants of the body. He has no power of judgment. Troubled by the wants of the body he acts under pressure to keep himself alive. His actions are not guided by reason. They are on the plane of instinct. His senses are dull. He becomes infatuated and stupefied. He has no inclination to work. He yawns much. He sleeps too much. He always wants to sleep. He nevr knows when and how to act? what? to whom and how to talk. He takes delight in following the wrong path. He does not know how to behave or how to address others. He is thoughtless and ignorant. He forgets everything. He is negligent and indolent. He is just in a stage higher than lifeless matter.He who is under the grip of heedlessness (Pramada) is not able to discriminate between the eternal and the noneternal. This is an enemy of illumination? the effect of Sattva. He who is overpowered by laziness (Alasya) is not able to exert. This is an enemy of Pravritti? the effect of Rajas. Sleep (Nidra) is LayaVritti? (a state of absorption into ignorance) which is dependent on Tamas. This is the enemy of the works done by Sattva and Rajas.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

The tamas guna is born of ignorance. Under the influence of tamas, the human intellect's capacity to discern between truth and falsehood becomes obscured, and one begins to behave as though confused or foolish. The Blessed Lord Krishna teaches that this tamas guna gives rise to countless false beliefs and false convictions regarding the truth and divine purpose of life, compelling humanity to live at a lower level of existence. Enslaved by it, one becomes prey to negligence and sloth—a tendency to postpone action. One remains, as it were, asleep to life's ideals and divine aspirations. The person dominated by tamas possesses neither steadiness of purpose nor brilliance of intellect; in them there is neither tenderness of feeling nor skill in action. Thus far, the Blessed Lord Krishna has systematically described those characteristics of sattva, rajas, and tamas that are observed in our mental life. These disturb the peace of our mind. Because of these three gunas, there is a gradation in the expression of divinity among different persons, and these gunas cause the eternal, infinite nature of the atman to appear, as it were, temporal and limited. In summary: