Bg. 14.13

BG 14.13

Devanagari

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥ १३ ॥

Verse text

aprakāśo ’pravṛttiś ca pramādo moha eva ca tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe kuru-nandana

Synonyms

aprakāśaḥ darkness ; apravṛttiḥ inactivity ; ca and ; pramādaḥ madness ; mohaḥ illusion ; eva certainly ; ca also ; tamasi the mode of ignorance ; etāni these ; jāyante are manifested ; vivṛddhe when developed ; kuru-nandana O son of Kuru.

Translation

When there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, O son of Kuru, darkness, inertia, madness and illusion are manifested.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

13. Absence of discernment, absence of effort, inattention and absorption in the false appear with the increase of tamas, O son of the Kurus.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

13. Absence of discernment, aversion to prescribed duties, getting no results from work and absorption in the false appear with the increase of tamas, O son of the Kurus.

Purport

When there is no illumination, knowledge is absent. One in the mode of ignorance does not work by a regulative principle; he wants to act whimsically, for no purpose. Even though he has the capacity to work, he makes no endeavor. This is called illusion. Although consciousness is going on, life is inactive. These are the symptoms of one in the mode of ignorance.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Absence of discrimination, accepting sound and other sense objects not approved by the scriptures (aprakāśaḥ); absence of all effort (apravṛttiḥ); inattention, for example, conviction that one does not have anything when holding it in ones hands (pramādaḥ); and absorption in the wrong or false (mohaḥ) appear with the increase of tamas.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

By lack of knowledge (aprakāśaḥ), by enjoyment of things prohibited by scripture and aversion to prescribed actions (apravṛttiḥ), by lack of awareness (pramādaḥ), such as not noticing something one is holding in ones hand, and by absorption in what is false (moha), one should know that tamas has increased.

Surrender Unto Me

One should be able to place himself and figure out which combination of the modes is affecting him. At different times of a day, different modes may affect us. At 'brahma‑muhurta' time the mode of goodness may be more prevalent. When the sun starts blazing, everyone's blood starts boiling and the mode of passion takes over for a while and then he may feel asleepy and the mode of ignorance takes over. The different modes fight with each other for supremacy, pushing the living entity, controlling him in different ways. [7. Death in the mode of goodness brings elevation; death in passion brings birth, forcing fruitive engagement; and death in ignorance brings animal birth. (14‑15) ]