Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 25
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम्।मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते।।
anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hinsām anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
mohād ārabhyate karma yat tat tāmasam ucyate
also searched as "anubandham kshayam himsam anapekshya cha paurusham"
Translation
That act is said to be Tamasika which is undertaken through delusion, without regard to consequences, loss, injury, and one's own capacity.
Vāṇi's rendering
Work begun in delusion — blind to consequence, to loss, to the harm done, to one's own limits — is dark.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अनुबन्धम्anubandhaṁ | what will follow; the consequence bound to the act |
| क्षयम्kṣayaṁ | loss, wastage, what will be depleted |
| हिंसाम्hinsām | the harm done, injury to others (sandhi: hiṁsām + anapekṣya) |
| अनपेक्ष्यanapekṣya | without looking at, taking no account of |
| चca | and |
| पौरुषम्pauruṣam | one's own strength, what one can actually carry |
| मोहात्mohād | out of delusion, from a clouded mind (sandhi: mohāt + ārabhyate) |
| आरभ्यतेārabhyate | is begun, is undertaken |
| कर्मkarma | action, work |
| यत्yat | that which |
| तत्tat | that |
| तामसम्tāmasam | dark, of the nature of tamas |
| उच्यतेucyate | is called, is said to be |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 25 mean?
It names the darkest kind of action — not the cruellest, but the blindest. Work begun in moha, with no glance at consequence, cost, harm, or one's own limits. Krishna is not weighing the deed. He is weighing the seeing that preceded it, and finding none.
What does anubandham kshayam himsam anapekshya cha paurusham teach?
That beginning is a moment of responsibility. Anubandha is what follows, kṣaya what drains away, hiṁsā the wound left in others, pauruṣa the honest measure of your own strength. Skip all four and the act is tāmasa, however sincere it felt at the time.
Is tamasic action the same as sinful action?
No. Tamas is not wickedness, it is unseeing. A person can do great damage while meaning well, simply by refusing to look before moving. Krishna's categories describe the quality of attention behind an act, not a verdict on the actor's heart.
How do I know if my own work is tamasic?
Ask what you have refused to look at. Usually one of the four is being avoided on purpose — most often your own limits, because admitting them slows you down. The avoidance is the sign. Look at it, and the darkness begins to thin.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna is not describing an evil act. He is describing an act begun without looking. Four things go unseen — what will follow, what it will cost, who it will hurt, and what you can actually bear. Any of those blindnesses alone could be carelessness. Together they are darkness. Arjuna's temptation runs the other way: he has looked so long at consequence that he cannot lift the bow. But the cure for paralysis is not haste. Before the next thing you rush into, ask the four questions. If you cannot answer one of them, you are not ready to begin.