Verse 18.32
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसावृता | सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी ||३२||
Transliteration (IAST)
adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā | sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī ||32||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
That intellect which, enveloped in darkness, regards adharma as dharma and sees all things in a perverted way - that intellect, O Partha, is tamasic.
Commentary
Tamasic intellect completely inverts moral reality - seeing wrong as right and right as wrong. Shankaracharya explains that 'tamasāvṛtā' (covered by darkness) indicates total spiritual blindness. Unlike rajasic intellect which is confused, tamasic intellect is systematically inverted. Ramanuja notes this is the most dangerous state as the person is convinced of their correctness while being entirely wrong.