Verse 18.28
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः | विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते ||२८||
Transliteration (IAST)
ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ śaṭho naiṣkṛtiko 'lasaḥ | viṣādī dīrgha-sūtrī ca kartā tāmasa ucyate ||28||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
The doer who is undisciplined, vulgar, obstinate, deceitful, malicious, lazy, despondent, and procrastinating - is called tamasic.
Commentary
The tamasic doer exhibits eight negative qualities that prevent any meaningful accomplishment. Shankaracharya explains that 'dīrgha-sūtrī' (procrastinator) literally means 'one who spins a long thread' - endlessly delaying action. Ramanuja notes that these qualities form a self-reinforcing cycle: laziness leads to despondency, which leads to further inaction and moral degradation.
Themes
Related Verses
No related verses are available for this verse.