Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 13
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन।।
aprakāśo ’pravṛttiś ca pramādo moha eva ca
tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe kuru-nandana
also searched as "aprakasho 'pravrittish cha pramado moha eva cha"
Translation
Non-illumination, inactivity, negligence, and even delusion—these arise, O Arjuna, when Tamas prevails.
Vāṇi's rendering
Dullness, inertia, carelessness, confusion — these thicken when darkness has the upper hand.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अप्रकाशःaprakāśo | no light, dullness of mind — nothing shows clearly (sandhi: aprakāśaḥ) |
| अप्रवृत्तिः’pravṛttiś | no movement, nothing gets started (the initial 'a' is elided after aprakāśo) |
| चca | and |
| प्रमादःpramādo | carelessness, letting things slip |
| मोहःmoha | confusion, not knowing what is what |
| एवeva | indeed |
| चca | and |
| तमसिtamasy | in darkness, in tamas (sandhi: tamasi) |
| एतानिetāni | these |
| जायन्तेjāyante | are born, arise |
| विवृद्धेvivṛddhe | when it has grown strong, has the upper hand |
| कुरुनन्दनkuru-nandana | joy of the Kurus — Arjuna |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 13 mean?
Krishna gives Arjuna four signs that tamas has grown strong: the mind unlit, nothing beginning, attention slipping, and plain confusion. He is not condemning the state — he is describing it accurately enough that you can recognise it in yourself before it names you instead.
What does aprakasho 'pravrittish cha pramado moha eva cha teach?
It teaches that darkness shows up as absence, not as a storm. Nothing lights up, nothing moves, nothing is remembered, nothing is clear. Because tamas has no drama, it goes unnoticed for years. Krishna hands you the list so the recognising can start.
How is tamas different from rajas in the Gita?
Rajas is heat — craving, restlessness, a hundred things begun. Tamas is cold — nothing begun at all. Rajas announces itself; you feel the burn. Tamas hides in ordinary tiredness and postponement. One drives you too hard, the other lets the day pass without you.
What should I do when I notice these signs in myself?
Begin with the noticing itself; that much is already light. Krishna does not ask you to argue with dullness. Move the body, keep one small commitment, refuse the second postponement. Tamas thickens on stillness and thins on action, however plain and unglamorous the action is.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna names darkness by what goes missing. No light in the mind, no movement in the limbs, small things forgotten, and then the confusion that cannot even say what is wrong. Notice that none of these announce themselves. Rajas at least burns; you know when you are restless. Tamas is felt only as an absence — the lamp low, the day gone by unlived, and no account of where it went. That is why Krishna lists symptoms instead of scolding. He is teaching you to read your own weather. When the morning has no edge and nothing seems worth beginning, you have already been told the name.