तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे भरतवंशी अर्जुन सम्पूर्ण देहधारियोंको मोहित करनेवाले तमोगुणको तुम अज्ञानसे उत्पन्न होनेवाला समझो । वह प्रमाद, आलस्य और निद्राके द्वारा देहधारियोंको बाँधता है ॥
English
Arjuna, know tamas to be born of ignorance and deluding all embodied beings. It binds them through heedlessness, laziness, and sleep.
What this verse means
Tamas is the force of confusion and inertia. It clouds judgment and traps people through carelessness, laziness, and sleepiness.
Context & commentary
Krishna is still teaching Arjuna on the battlefield, where the three gunas are being explained one by one. After describing sattva and rajas, he now names tamas as the force that clouds living beings and binds them through dullness.
Why this verse still matters
You open your phone “for a minute” and lose half an hour, then feel foggy and late. That drag is not harmless rest; it is tamas quietly taking the wheel.
The takeaway
You can spot what drags you down by watching what dulls your mind and delays your action.
Word-by-word translation
तमः (darkness/inertia) / तु (indeed) / अज्ञानजम् (born of ignorance) / विद्धि (know) / मोहनम् (deluding) / सर्वदेहिनाम् (of all embodied beings) / प्रमाद-आलस्य-निद्राभिः (through heedlessness, laziness, and sleep) / तत् (that) / निबध्नाति (binds) / भारत (Arjuna)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga — The Three Modes of Material Nature, which contains 27 verses.
Explore related themes: tamas (18 verses)