The verse

Bhagavad Gita 14.8BG 14.8 · Chapter 14, Verse 8

Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps

“Confusion binds most through laziness, not force.”

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

The verse

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥

Arjuna, know tamas to be born of ignorance and deluding all embodied beings. It binds them through heedlessness, laziness, and sleep.

— Krishna

Bhagavad Gita · 14.8

Hindi · हिन्दी

हे भरतवंशी अर्जुन सम्पूर्ण देहधारियोंको मोहित करनेवाले तमोगुणको तुम अज्ञानसे उत्पन्न होनेवाला समझो । वह प्रमाद, आलस्य और निद्राके द्वारा देहधारियोंको बाँधता है ॥

Themes:Tamas

Word by word

The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.

तमःdarkness/inertiaतुindeedअज्ञानजम्born of ignoranceविद्धिknowमोहनम्deludingसर्वदेहिनाम्of all embodied beingsप्रमाद-आलस्य-निद्राभिःthrough heedlessness, laziness, and sleepतत्thatनिबध्नातिbindsभारतArjuna

Read literallydarkness/inertia · indeed · born of ignorance · know · deluding · of all embodied beings · through heedlessness, laziness, and sleep · that · binds · Arjuna

Understanding the verse

Tamas is born of ignorance, deludes every embodied being, and binds through heedlessness, laziness and sleep.

Built ontamas18avidyapramadaalasyanidra

In plain words

What this verse means

Tamas is the force of confusion and inertia. It clouds judgment and traps people through carelessness, laziness, and sleepiness.

On the battlefield

Context & commentary

Krishna teaches Arjuna, and 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.

In your life

What it looks like today

A hostel room where the curtains stay shut, laundry piles up and classes get skipped for a week shows what Krishna describes. Darkness, inertia, negligence and confusion grow together, and opening the curtain is a start.

The takeaway

“You can spot what drags you down by watching what dulls your mind and delays your action.”

Carry it with you