Chapter 18 Shloka 22

यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम्।

अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्।।२२।।

That knowledge which is confined to a single activity

as though it constituted the whole reality,

which is devoid of rationality, which is based

on false interpretations and which is petty,

that knowledge is tamsic in nature.

Chapter 18 Shloka 22

यत्तु कृत्स्नवदेकस्मिन्कार्ये सक्तमहैतुकम्।

अतत्त्वार्थवदल्पं च तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्।।२२।।

Now the Lord speaks of tamsic knowledge.

That knowledge which is confined to a single activity as though it constituted the whole reality, which is devoid of rationality, which is based on false interpretations and which is petty, that knowledge is tamsic in nature.

First understand the attribute of tamas and then understand the actions that spring thereof.

Tamoguna

1. Throughmoha this quality binds those who take pride in the body-self.

2. Moha born of ignorance and sloth are the basic tendencies in those who are tamsic.

3. This attribute leads to darkness.

4. It binds one to false principles due to one’s basic indolence.

5. It fosters evil thoughts and a petty intellect.

Kaarya (कार्य)

1. The inevitable outcome or result of some act is known as kaarya.

2. The manifestation of an activity is kaarya.

3. Doing one’s duty is kaarya.

4. All that one does in life is kaarya.

5  Actions connected with one’s business or trade are also called kaarya.

6. One’s purpose is also kaarya.

7. Duty which should be done is alsokaarya.

Little one, the Lord has specified, that to busy oneself in a single activity is tamsic. This ‘single’ activity could be taken to mean activity that springs from the focus on a single body-self. Thus it also means:

a) those who consider the body-self to form this entirety and whose actions stem from this attachment are tamsic;

b) those who focus on any one task as all important and whose actions spring from their attachment to that work, are indeed tamsic.

To engage in a single action having forgotten all else is sheer foolishness. Man has several types of duties – he has several relationships to fulfil. For example, a man is a son to one person and a husband to another. He is the father of his progeny as well. He has to handle each of these relationships separately; he has to interact differently in each, in order to fulfil all the different obligations.

So also,

1. When an individual is engaged in a job, he has a boss.

2. When he engages people to work under him, he has obligations towards his employees.

3. When that individual is occupied in business, he earns wealth.

Thus there are several duties of a human being, all of which have to be dispensed with shrewdness and alacrity. An individual who focuses on only one single facet and forgets everything else – obliterating all other duties from his memory, that individual is tamsic by nature. To consider one single undertaking as one’s entirety and to become unnaturally attached to it is sheer foolishness.

The individual who is thus attached to a single undertaking:

a) for him nothing else exists;

b) acts only for the fulfilment of that work;

c) speaks only of that activity;

d) lives and dies only to perform that activity;

e) is prepared to sell himself, to become humble or haughty, whatever is required for achieving that one purpose.

For the tamsic individual, only his body-self is all important. His body is his God and it means everything to him. All that he does is for the sake of his body-self. If he becomes attached to wealth, he will forget all else in his endeavours to accumulate wealth. This, too, is his foolishness. Such a one has no time or leisure for his spouse, children, parents or any other relations.

Tamsic knowledge

1. The conviction of such people springs from false concepts and is devoid of rationale.

2. They are enmeshed in the theory of knowledge and hence find it impossible to identify with the other.

3. They misunderstand the principles of knowledge and adhere to their erroneous illusions.

4. These egoistic, arrogant people are intolerant of others and oppose anyone who attempts to come in their way.

5. They make many plans but these plans remain unfulfilled and unsuccessful since they are illogical.

6. Their knowledge is not based on scriptural decree.

7. Their convictions are without foundation and they give imaginary interpretations to knowledge.

8. They do not even know the method of translating knowledge into their lives – they can only expound its theory.

9. When they are unable to perform their duty, they give false meanings to scriptural tenets and distance themselves from the true definitions.

The problem is that such people are extremely stubborn.

1. They abide in illusion themselves and drown the other in the same delusion.

2. They propagate their false convictions with great vigour and verve.

3. They attribute false meanings even to the code of duty as expounded by the Scriptures.

4. They do not understand the connotation of living life in the spirit of yagya and instead give a different meaning to the term ‘yagya’.

5. They change the meanings of those truths, which they are unable to apply in their own lives.

6. They consider themselves to be extremely important and great and are also able to influence others.

In reality these people are exceedingly petty. However little one, you must remember that this is not on account of the individual himself, but the result of the attribute of tamas in him.

The words and deeds of such people flow spontaneously from their attributes. Those who possess the attribute of tamas always believe themselves to be correct but the wise man realises that such people are full of trivial, insignificant attributes and that their intellect is veiled by the attribute of tamas.