Chapter 18 Shloka 28

अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः।

विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते।।२८।।

One who is incompetent, uncultured, 

conceited and dishonest;

who is malicious, despondent,

indolent and procrastinating,

he is a tamsic doer.

Chapter 18 Shloka 28

अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः।

विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते।।२८।।

Now Bhagwan speaks of the tamsic doer and says:

One who is incompetent, uncultured, conceited and dishonest; who is malicious, despondent, indolent and procrastinating, he is a tamsic doer.

The tamsic doer

The Lord specifies that those in whom the tamsic attribute inheres, are by nature devoid of merit.

Ayukt (अयुक्त) – Incompetent

1. Their work and dealings are conducted in an improper manner.

2. They are not vigilant.

3. They are not skilled in action.

4. They perform futile deeds.

5. They engage in deeds that are devoid of the spirit of duty.

6. Their actions are contrary to the rules of life itself.

7. Their actions in ordinary, normal circumstances are improper and inappropriate.

8. In any given situation their actions will not be dutiful.

Prakrit (प्राकृत) – Uncivil

1. They are uncultured.

2. They conduct themselves in an ill-bred manner.

3. They behave in an uncouth fashion.

4. They cannot see beyond the interest of their body-self.

5. Nobody exists for these people other than their ‘I’.

6. The interest of the other means nothing to such people to whom only the ‘I’ matters.

7. No other human being holds any importance for such people who give complete importance only to the ‘I’.

8. “Only I have rights. Others do not have any rights.”

9. “I have no duties. All duties belong to others.”

10. “Every desire of mine should be fulfilled. Of what consequence are the aspirations of others?”

Such are the convictions of the tamsic doer.

Stabdha (स्तब्ध)

1. The tamsic doer is stiff with arrogance and pride.

2. Such people can never bend before others.

3. They may bow their forehead in mock humility, but their pride never allows them to bend before another.

4. They are stubborn and headstrong.

5. They remain fixated in old enmities.

6. They are hard hearted, merciless and devoid of compassion.

7. They never listen to others.

8. Such people are congenitally blind, they can never be open to fresh ideas.

9. Their intellect has become dull and lifeless.

10. Thus their intellect remains closed to the cries of another and cannot hear another’s pleas.

11. Nobody can melt their hearts of stone.

12. To love them is to love a stone idol – to offer oneself as a sacrifice before that idol!

These tamsic folk still do not melt. Their acts are in conformity with their mental tendencies. Only the Lord can save the one of whom such people become enamoured.

Shath (शठ) – Knaves

1. Such people are deceivers.

2. They are traitors and betrayers.

3. They quote high principles and rob others.

4. Deceit lies hidden in their speech.

5. These hypocrites don the exterior of a sage and turn men away from their duty.

6. They destroy flourishing homes with their deceitful ways.

7. Their worship is also fraudulent.

8. They tell lies even to the Lord.

9. They speak one language in the temple of God and their actions speak a different language when they emerge from the temple.

10. They preach goodness and saintliness and snatch away the happiness of others.

11. They eulogise the Lord but they do not obey Him.

12. They take the Lord’s name but are a slur on His name.

Naishkritik (नैष्कृतिक) – Evil doers

1. Those who perform deeds that harm or cause injury to another.

2. Those who engage in dishonest deeds.

3. Those who engage in deeds that are detrimental for another.

4. Those who cannot see the difference between truth and falsehood.

5. Those who blindly act for selfish benefit only.

6. Those who act to tarnish another’s name.

7. Those who engage in deeds that can endanger the life of others.

8. Those through whom dharma too, is enfeebled.

9. Those who make it expensive for others to follow dharma.

10. Those whose conduct distorts the meanings of scriptural terms.

11. Those who do not hesitate even to orphan a child.

12. Those who do not hesitate to adulterate the definitions of duty and truth, and are the cause of the downfall of man.

These are the attributes of the tamsic doer.

These are the people who cause great pain to the world. They are infinitely wicked and terrifying demons. Their misdeeds cause great turmoil and anguish in the world.

Little one, these people quote the Scriptures, but their actions only give sorrow to the world. Under the guise of preaching joy, they spread sorrow.

Indolent

One who is indolent, refrains from those deeds which he ought to do. He does not wish to engage in any task that involves effort.

Such a person desires wealth, but is not ready to put in adequate effort to procure that wealth. Therefore such people are inevitably found to engage in black-marketing and other such nefarious deeds. They indulge in gambling for the same reasons – to make a quick fortune. It is this trait that instigates them to accumulate hidden wealth. Such people are lazy even at the intellectual level, therefore their knowledge is obscure and unilluminating. Their dharma too, imparts sorrow. They expect plentiful fruit from very little effort.

Vishaad (विषाद) – Despondency

Despondency is the outcome of the attribute of tamas.

1. It spreads sorrow.

2. Every business conducted by it will inevitably lead to distress.

3. People in whom this attribute inheres are the embodiment of grief and sorrow.

Dirgh sootri (दीर्घसूत्री) – Procrastinating

If these people ultimately take up a job in hand:

1. They delay that job.

2. They cannot complete even one day’s work in ten days.

3. They do not wish to exert themselves at all.

4. They do not desire to exert their physical body and therefore become even more inactive. Soon they do not remain in the habit of exerting themselves at all.

5. They are responsible for stalling work, in the form of strikes etc.

6. They are uncaring of what may become of their country.

7. They do not bother if others are put to any problems through their procrastination.

8. They do not care if their actions lead to an increase in prices.

Such destructive people, who cause great agony and harm to others, are tamsic doers. They put on an appearance of goodness and break others’ homes, because they wish to escape from duty and in the process, mislead others, turning them away from their duty too.

These are the attributes of the tamsic doer.