A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“Darkness does not stay still; it breeds neglect and confusion.”
O descendant of Kuru, when tamas grows strong, darkness, inertia, negligence, and delusion arise.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyabsence of light · absence of activity · negligence · delusion · indeed · and · in tamas · these · are born · when increased · O descendant of Kuru
When tamas becomes stronger, a person loses clarity, becomes inactive, starts neglecting things, and falls into confusion.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Modes of Material Nature).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita — Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Modes of Material Nature". The chapter has 27 verses in total.
An old uncle living alone stops cooking, lets the post pile up and sleeps through the afternoons. Krishna's signs of tamas help a relative see the heaviness for what it is and bring back light and routine.
Did you like this verse?
When tamas grows, Krishna says, darkness, inertia, carelessness and delusion follow close behind.
What this verse means
When tamas becomes stronger, a person loses clarity, becomes inactive, starts neglecting things, and falls into confusion.
Context & commentary
Krishna teaches Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where a whole life is being decided in a single moment. After describing the signs of rising sattva and rajas, he now shows what happens when tamas dominates: the mind dims, effort stops, carelessness appears, and confusion follows.
What it looks like today
An old uncle living alone stops cooking, lets the post pile up and sleeps through the afternoons. Krishna's signs of tamas help a relative see the heaviness for what it is and bring back light and routine.
“It feels easier to catch stagnation early than to wake up inside it.”
Explore related themes: gunas (47 verses), delusion (19 verses), tamas (18 verses)