Bhagavad Gita BG 18.25
Chapter 18, Verse 25 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसाम् अनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् । मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥
anubandham kshayam himsam anapekshya ca paurusham mohad arabhyate karma yat tat tamasam ucyate
Meaning
Action that is undertaken through delusion (mohat), without regard for consequences (anubandham), loss (kshayam), injury (himsam), or one's own capacity (paurusham) — that action is called tamasic.
Understanding
Tamasic karma is defined above all by moha (delusion, confusion — the root). Mohat arabhyate (undertaken from delusion — not from bad intent necessarily, but from profound confusion about what one is doing and why). Four things the tamasic actor disregards: anubandham (the further consequences, the ripple effects of the action), kshayam (the loss — what will be depleted or damaged), himsam (the injury to others — harm), and paurusham (one's own capacity — whether one is actually capable of this action). The tamasic action begins in a fog: unconcerned with what it destroys, who it hurts, where it leads, or whether the actor can actually carry it out. The root of all four disregards is moha — the fundamental confusion about reality.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| अनुबन्धम् | anubandham | further consequences, what follows/is bound to the action |
| क्षयम् | kshayam | loss, diminishment, depletion, ruin |
| हिंसाम् | himsam | injury, harm to others (from hims = to harm) |
| अनपेक्ष्य | anapekshya | without regard for, disregarding, not looking at (an = not, apeksha = consideration/regard) |
| पौरुषम् | paurusham | one's own capacity, human strength, ability (from purusa = person) |
| मोहात् | mohat | from delusion, because of confusion/ignorance (moha = delusion) |
| क्षयम् | kṣayam | loss, destruction |
| हिंसम् | hiṃsam | injury |
| अनपेक्ष्य | anapekṣya ca | and without consideration |
| पौरुषम् | pauruṣam | ability, capacity |
| मोहात् | mohāt | from delusion |
| आरभ्यते | ārabhyate | is undertaken |
| कर्म | karma | action |
| यत् | yat tat | that which |
| तामसम् | tāmasam | in ignorance |
| उच्यते | ucyate | is called |
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