Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, verse 13
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।
तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥
Say itaprakāśho ’pravṛittiśh cha pramādo moha eva cha
tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛiddhe kuru-nandana
Translation
Darkness, inertia, carelessness, and delusion—these arise when Tamas is predominant, O Arjuna.
Swami Sivananda
O descendant of the Kuru dynasty, when tamas predominates, these come into being without exception: non-discrimination, inactivity, inadvertence, and delusion.
Swami Gambirananda
Follows the commentary of Shankara (Advaita).
Non-illumination, inactivity, negligence, and even delusion—these arise, O Arjuna, when Tamas prevails.
Swami Adidevananda
Follows the commentary of Ramanuja (Vishishtadvaita).
Absence of mental illumination, lack of exertion, negligence, and mere delusion—these are born when Tamas predominates, O darling of the Kurus!
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
Follows the commentary of Abhinavagupta (Kashmir Shaivism).
Darkness, stagnation, folly, and infatuation are the results of the dominance of ignorance, O joy of the Kuru clan!
Shri Purohit Swami
हे कुरुनन्दन ! तमोगुणके बढ़नेपर अप्रकाश, अप्रवृत्ति, प्रमाद और मोह -- ये वृत्तियाँ भी पैदा होती हैं।
Swami Ramsukhdas
हे कुरुनन्दन ! तमोगुण के प्रवृद्ध होने पर अप्रकाश, अप्रवृत्ति, प्रमाद और मोह ये सब उत्पन्न होते हैं।
Swami Tejomayananda
Classical commentariesFor deeper study. Most are in the original Sanskrit.
Advaita
Non-dual: the self and the absolute are one.
Vishishtadvaita
Qualified non-dual: souls are real parts of the divine.
Dvaita
Dual: the soul and God are eternally distinct.
Shuddhadvaita
Pure non-dual, centred on grace and devotion.
Kashmir Shaivism
The Gita read through Trika Shaiva philosophy.
Modern teachers
20th-century teachers writing for today's readers.
Verse map
How this verse connects to feelings, situations, ideas and other verses. Hover or tap to see why; these links are drafts awaiting review.