तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् | प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत
tamastvajñānajaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarvadehinām . pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata
婆罗多族后裔啊，另一方面，当知惰性（tamas）生于无明，它迷惑一切有形体者。它通过疏忽、怠惰和睡眠来束缚。
On the other hand, know tamas, which deludes all embodied beings, to be born of ignorance. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, that binds through inadvertence, laziness and sleep.
惰性（Tamas）是一种束缚力量，倾向于迟钝、懒惰和愚蠢的行为。它导致迷惑或无辨别力，束缚那些将真我与身体联系在一起的人。惰性之人受身体需求的驱使而行动，他们没有判断力。受身体需求的困扰，他们为了维持生存而被迫行动。他们的行动不受理性引导，而是在本能层面。他们的感官迟钝，变得痴迷和麻木。他们没有工作的意愿，经常打哈欠，睡得太多，总是想睡觉。他们从不知道何时以及如何行动，该说什么、对谁说、如何说。他们乐于走上错误的道路，不知道如何行为或如何称呼他人。他们粗心大意、无知，忘却一切，疏忽怠惰，仅比无生命的物质高一个阶段。受疏忽（Pramada）控制的人无法辨别永恒与非永恒，这是觉悟的敌人，是悦性（Sattva）的作用。被怠惰（Alasya）压倒的人无法努力，这是活动（Pravritti）的敌人，是激性（Rajas）的作用。睡眠（Nidra）是消融状态（LayaVritti），即沉浸于无明之中，它依赖于惰性，是悦性与激性所做工作的敌人。
Tamas is that binding force with a tendency to lethargy? sloth and foolish actions. It causes delusion or nondiscrimination. It binds him who associates the Self with the body. A Tamasic man acts under the compulsion of the wants of the body. He has no power of judgment. Troubled by the wants of the body he acts under pressure to keep himself alive. His actions are not guided by reason. They are on the plane of instinct. His senses are dull. He becomes infatuated and stupefied. He has no inclination to work. He yawns much. He sleeps too much. He always wants to sleep. He nevr knows when and how to act? what? to whom and how to talk. He takes delight in following the wrong path. He does not know how to behave or how to address others. He is thoughtless and ignorant. He forgets everything. He is negligent and indolent. He is just in a stage higher than lifeless matter.He who is under the grip of heedlessness (Pramada) is not able to discriminate between the eternal and the noneternal. This is an enemy of illumination? the effect of Sattva. He who is overpowered by laziness (Alasya) is not able to exert. This is an enemy of Pravritti? the effect of Rajas. Sleep (Nidra) is LayaVritti? (a state of absorption into ignorance) which is dependent on Tamas. This is the enemy of the works done by Sattva and Rajas.