Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 35 (BG 18.35) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

It is not difficult to understand the tamasic resolve described in this verse, for most of us possess resolve of this very category. The resolve that sustains sleep, fear, and similar states is called tamasic. The word "dream" refers to the mind's projected imaginings—those mental constructs that typically remain submerged in the state of sleep. That condition of experience is a dream, wherein despite the actual absence of objects, the mind enjoys false, imaginary subjects. People dominated by the quality of tamas project beauty and happiness onto external objects through their minds, and then labor and struggle to obtain them. Fear—such unwise people needlessly imagine a dark future and become frightened by it. It is possible that the fearful event may never occur at all, yet the imaginary fear alone is sufficient to destroy a person's balance, restraint, and contentment. Many of us have experienced such fear in our lives. Some people fear that they will die tomorrow, yet they wake each day as healthy as before—mentally speaking, such people suffer from the disease of panic. And the firmness with which they cling to this knot of fear is truly remarkable. Sorrow, despondency, and delusion—these three are causes that diminish human capacity. The tamasic person, holding these, experiences a kind of inner emptiness and exhaustion. A person grieves over misfortunes that occurred in the past; seeing the future as dark, the mind becomes filled with despondency; and in the present, the deluded person experiences pride in living a lustful, unethical life. A person who sustains these five life-values—dreams and the rest—is dull-witted, and such a person's resolve is said to be tamasic. After this, now we describe the happiness that is the fruit of action, which is threefold. The Blessed Lord says—