अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् ।
मोहादारभ्यतेकर्मयत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥ २५ ॥
anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām
[anubandham kshayam himsaam]
anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
[anapekshya cha paurusham]
mohād ārabhyate karma
[mohaad aarabhyate karma]
yat tat tāmasam ucyate
[yat tat taamasam uchyate]
Word-for-word
anubandham—of future bondagekṣayam—destructionhiṁsām—and distress to othersanapekṣya—without considering the consequencesca—alsopauruṣam—self-sanctionedmohāt—by illusionārabhyate—is begunkarma—workyat—whichtat—thattāmasam—in the mode of ignoranceucyate—is said to be .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anubandhaṁ kṣayaṁ hiṁsām
anubandham
of future bondage
kṣayam
destruction
hiṁsām
and distress to others
anapekṣya ca pauruṣam
anapekṣya
without considering the consequences
ca
also
pauruṣam
self-sanctioned
mohād ārabhyate karma
mohāt
by illusion
ārabhyate
is begun
karma
work
yat tat tāmasam ucyate
yat
which
tat
that
tāmasam
in the mode of ignorance
ucyate
is said to be .
Important Words
anubandham—consequence, future bondage
Literally 'that which binds after.' The tāmasa actor does not consider the karmic *aftermath* of the deed. Bondage is exactly what is ignored.
kṣayam—destruction, loss
Resources, capacity, life-energy spent for nothing. The tāmasa actor does not count the cost — to himself or to the field of action.
hiṁsām—violence, harm
Damage to others. Tāmasa karma is willing to break things and beings to accomplish itself. Hiṁsā is one of its diagnostic marks.
mohāt—out of illusion
Ablative of cause. The whole motive structure rests on moha — confusion about what is real and what is right. Same root as the moha Arjuna himself was rescued from.
tāmasam—in the mode of ignorance
The classification. The verse completes the threefold karma analysis — sattva regulates, rajas strains, tamas devastates.
That action performed in illusion, in disregard of scriptural injunctions, and without concern for future bondage or for violence or distress caused to others is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning(तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Tāmasa action is the reckless deed — undertaken in fog, blind to consequences, costs, the suffering of others, and one's own real capacity. Delusion is its single root.
Further notes(विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Four heedlessnesses: anubandha (long consequence), kṣaya (loss of resources or destruction wrought), hiṁsā (violence to others), pauruṣa (one's own actual strength). This is action without weighing — the impulsive ruinous deed. Single source: moha. Tāmasa work need not be lazy; it can be furiously active while being utterly unmoored.
One has to give account of one’s actions to the state or to the agents of the Supreme Lord called the Yamadūtas. Irresponsible work is destructive because it destroys the regulative principles of scriptural injunction. It is often based on violence and is distressing to other living entities. Such irresponsible work is carried out in the light of one’s personal experience. This is called illusion. And all such illusory work is a product of the mode of ignorance.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. That work leading to bondage, which is destructive, harmful to the self, and performed without prior consideration, is called tamasic work.
Commentary
That work which leads to later bondage by the servants of Yama, by a king or by thieves (anubandham), which destroys dharma, knowledge and other good qualities (kṣayam), which destroys oneself (hiṁsām), which is performed without prior consideration (anapekṣya), which is performed only by materialistic persons (pauruṣam), commenced out of ignorance (mohāt), is called tamasic work.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. That work leading to bondage, which is destructive, harmful to other, performed by force and without consideration of anyone, out of illusion, is called tamasic work.
Commentary
That action which later (anu) causes bondage by the king or Yamarāja, which destroys such things as dharma, that afflicts other living entities, which is done forcibly (pauruṣam), that is, without consideration of anyone, and out of illusion, is called action in the mode of ignorance.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
18.25 Tat, that; karma, action; yat, which; is arabhyate, undertaken; mohat, out of delusion, non-discrimination; anapeksya, without consideration of; its anubandham, conseence, the result which accrues later; ksayam, loss-that losss which is incurred in the form of loss of energy or loss of wealth in the course of any action; himsam, harm, suffering to creatures; and paurusam, ability, prowess-one's own ability fest as, 'I shall be able to complete this task';-without consideration of these, from 'conseence' to 'ability', ucyate, is said to be; tamasam, born of tamas.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
18.25 'Anubandha' or conseence is here the pain which follows when a work is performed. 'Loss' means loss of wealth involved in doing that act. 'Injury' is the pain caused to living beings when the work is carried out. 'Capacity' is the ability of completing the act. Whenever an act is begun without consideration of these and from delusion, viz., due to ignoring the agency of the Supreme Person - that act is said to be Tamasika.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
18.23-25 Niyatam etc. : upto Tamasam ucyate. With determination : i.e., it is a thing to be acired. Abundant in offlictions : spread through by nescience etc. Due to ignorance : i.e. due to that which is born of addiction.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
18.25 That action which is undertaken from delusion, without a regard for the conseences, loss, injury and (one's own) ability that is declared to be Tamasic (dark).
Commentary
18.25 अनुबन्धम् conseence? क्षयम् loss? हिंसाम् injury? अनपेक्ष्य without regard? च and? पौरुषम् (ones own) ability? मोहात् from delusion? आरभ्यते is undertaken? कर्म action? यत् which? तत् that? तामसम् Tamasic (dark)? उच्यते is said.Commentary Tamasic acts cause harm to others. A Tamasic man reflects not at all whether he has the capacity to perform these useless actions? but continues to act blindly. With utter thoughtlessness he sets aside any reflection as to the difficulty of performing the action and what the result of it would be. He carries it on in his own egoistical manner. He does not discriminate between the good and the bad? or what is ones own and what belongs to another.Kshayam Loss of power and of wealth? resulting from the performance of an action.Himsa Injury to living beings.Paurusham Ones own ability or capacity to complete the work.Now listen to the characteristics that pertain to the pure agent. The Lord proceeds to deal with the distinction among the agents.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
18.25 That action is said to be born of tamas which is undertaken out of delusion, (and) without consideration of its conseence, loss, harm and ability.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
18.25 An action undertaken through delusion, and with no regard to the spiritual issues involved, or the real capacity of the doer, or to the injury which may follow, such an act may be assumed to be the product of Ignorance.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)
His Holiness Bhakti Caitanya Swami· 2013-08-01· English
Personal Guidance
Action without considering consequences, causing harm or injury, executed without scripture — tamasic.
Practical Applications
Always consider consequences.
Refuse harm-causing action.
Stay scripture-aligned.
Reflection Questions
Where have I acted without considering consequence?
What scripture would have guided?
Analogy
A drunkard swings an axe in the dark without checking for tree, child, or temple. He cares neither for what the blow will cost nor whom it will wound. Tāmasa karma is precisely this: action begun without thought of consequence, scripture, or harm.