Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18, Verse 28

अयुक्त: प्राकृत: स्तब्ध: शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलस: |
विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते || 28||

ayuktaḥ prākṛitaḥ stabdhaḥ śhaṭho naiṣhkṛitiko ‘lasaḥ
viṣhādī dīrgha-sūtrī cha kartā tāmasa uchyate

ayuktaḥ—undisciplined; prākṛitaḥ—vulgar; stabdhaḥ—obstinate; śhaṭhaḥ—cunning; naiṣhkṛitikaḥ—dishonest or vile; alasaḥ—slothful; viṣhādī—unhappy and morose; dīrgha-sūtrī—procrastinating; cha—and; kartā—performer; tāmasaḥ—in the mode of ignorance; uchyate—is said to be

Translation:

One who has no self-restraint (concentration of purpose), vulgar, immodest, cheating, deceiving others and ruining their life, lazy, always pessimistic (full of doubts and fears), procrastinating, such an agent is said to be Tamasic.

Commentary:

Ayuktah: One whose mind is externalised and wandering, is not centered in the Self, who is devoid of self-control, is called ‘Ayuktah’. He has no integrated personality and hence his energies are being frittered away in restless and useless avocations.

Prakritah: One who is swayed by natural instincts of the lower type, and therefore vulgar is called a Prakritah. It is man’s duty to transform himself by training and education and make himself the image of divinity.

Naishkritikah: These wicked people deceive and ruin the lives of others, without deriving any benefit for themselves. Four classes of men in order of merit are described by Bhartrihari

1. Those who sacrifice their own interests for the sake of others;
2. Those who respect their interests and help others;
3. Those who sacrifice the interests of others to gain their own ends;
4. Those who ruin others without any advantage to themselves.

The ‘naishkritikah’ mentioned here belongs to the last two classes of men.

Alasah: Laziness is a sign of Tamas, and the Lord exhorts Arjuna to overcome this obstacle in any field of activity. There is no place at all for idlers in the spiritual field.

Vishadi: The Tamasic agent is despondent and pessimistic in every matter. It is certainly due to ignorance that man who is in essence the very embodiment of supreme joy should weep and wail like a weak and wretched being. Through knowing his nature, Atma, everyone should rise above sorrow and despondency.

Dirghasutri: Procrastination, mental indecision, want of alertness – these are the signs of a Tamasic agent. He never starts any good work, and even after starting, he never completes it. Doubting and fearing, he works his life without doing anything good to himself or to others. In the Santiparva of Mahabharata, Bhishma describes three types of characters under the names of three fishes ‘Dirghadarsi’, ‘Praptakalajna‘ and ‘Dirghasutri‘. Dirghadarsi is far-sighted, and so anticipates danger and avoids it even before it overtakes him. Praptakalajna is less active. Dirgasutri does not act at all. The last fall into the net of the fisherman in the story and dies. The Tamasic agent loses the battle of life even without any action. He falls an easy victim to circumstances and comes to an inglorious end.

Question: What is the nature of the Tamasic agent?

Answer: 1. He is devoid of self-control or concentration: 2. He is vulgar; 3. He is immodest and stubborn; 4. He is a cheat; 5. He deceives others and ruins their life; 6. He is always pessimistic and despondent; 7. He is procrastinating.

Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 18 🔻 (78 Verses)

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