FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 18.35

यया स्वप्‍नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च । न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृति: सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ ३५ ॥
yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ
[yayaa svapnam bhayam shokam]
viṣādaṁ madam eva ca
[vishaadam madam eva cha]
na vimuñcati durmedhā
[na vimunchati durmedhaa]
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
[dhritih saa paartha taamasee]
Word-for-word
yayā — by which svapnam — dreaming bhayam — fearfulness śokam — lamentation viṣādam — moroseness madam — illusion eva — certainly ca — also na — never vimuñcati — one gives up durmedhā — unintelligent dhṛtiḥ — determination sā — that pārtha — O son of Pṛthā tāmasī — in the mode of ignorance .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ
yayā
by which
svapnam
dreaming
bhayam
fearfulness
śokam
lamentation
viṣādaṁ madam eva ca
viṣādam
moroseness
madam
illusion
eva
certainly
ca
also
na vimuñcati durmedhā
na
never
vimuñcati
one gives up
durmedhā
unintelligent
dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
dhṛtiḥ
determination
sā
that
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
tāmasī
in the mode of ignorance .
Important Words
  • svapnam — dreaming
    Fantasy life. Tāmasa dhṛti holds on tightly to imagined futures and replayed pasts. The dream-state is what its energy sustains.
  • bhayam — fearfulness
    Chronic, ungrounded fear. The faculty's grip is *on* fear — it cannot let go even when the fear is shown to be groundless. Fear feels safer than its absence.
  • śokam — lamentation
    Persistent grief. Old losses are clutched, replayed, polished. Tamas finds identity in the wound and will not yield it.
  • viṣādam — moroseness
    Settled gloom. Different from situational sadness — this is a *steady* coloring. Tāmasa dhṛti holds on to its own darkness as a form of stability.
  • madam — illusion / intoxication
    Self-intoxication. Pride, conceit, or actual chemical inebriation — anything that produces a confused sense of one's own state. Tamas grips this too as a stabilizer.
  • durmedhā — of poor intelligence
    Compound — bad medhā. The verse closes by naming the underlying ruin: when intelligence is dull, even its steadiness becomes a vice.
And that determination which cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion – such unintelligent determination, O son of Pṛthā, is in the mode of darkness.
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)
Tāmasī 'determination' is determination in the wrong direction — obstinate refusal to let go of stupor, fear, sorrow, despair, and arrogance. It clings to its dysfunctions as if to virtues.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
A neat irony: tāmasī-dhṛti is real grip, but on the wrong objects. The five named — svapna, bhaya, śoka, viṣāda, mada — are precisely the emotional states a yogī releases. The tāmasī mind hugs them. 'Durmedhā' (bad-witted) places the root in cognitive failure: one cannot let go of what one has not rightly identified as poison.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे पार्थ! दुर्मेधा यया स्वप्‍नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदम् च एव न विमुञ्चति, सा धृतिः तामसी ।
he pārtha! durmedhā yayā svap‍naṃ bhayaṃ śokaṃ viṣādaṃ madam ca eva na vimuñcati, sā dhṛtiḥ tāmasī |
O Pārtha, that determination by which a dull-witted one does not release dreaming, fear, sorrow, despondency, and conceit — is tāmasī.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यया स्वप्‍नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदम् एव च । न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥
yayā svap‍naṃ bhayaṃ śokaṃ viṣādaṃ madam eva ca | na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
यया yayā यद् (pron. (pronoun)) ins.sg. (instrumental singular)f. by which
स्वप्नम् svapnam स्वप्न (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) sleep, dreaming
भयम् bhayam भय (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) fear
शोकम् śokam शोक (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) sorrow
विषादम् viṣādam विषाद (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) despondency
मदम् madam मद (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) conceit
एव eva ind. (indeclinable) indeed
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
न na ind. (indeclinable) negation not
विमुञ्चति vimuñcati वि + √मुच् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) releases
दुर्मेधा durmedhā बहुव्रीहि cpd. (compound) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. dull-witted
धृतिः dhṛtiḥ धृति (f.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) determination
सा sā तद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)f. that
तामसी tāmasī तामसी (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)f. tāmasī
Purport

It should not be concluded that a person in the mode of goodness does not dream. Here “dream” means too much sleep. Dreaming is always present; either in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance, dreaming is a natural occurrence. But those who cannot avoid oversleeping, who cannot avoid the pride of enjoying material objects, who are always dreaming of lording it over the material world, and whose life, mind and senses are thus engaged, are considered to have determination in the mode of ignorance.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
35. That determination by which one does not free oneself from sleep, fear, lamentation, dejection and passion is in the mode of tamas.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
35. That determination by which one does not free oneself from sleep, fear, lamentation, dejection and passion is in the mode of tamas.
Commentary

That determination is in the mode of ignorance by which the fool engages his senses, mind and prāṇas in actions for sense objects which are causes of sleep, fear, lamentation, depression and arrogance arising from sense enjoyment (madam), and which bring these results, is determination in the mode of ignorance.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

Determination in ignorance

One cannot go beyond dreaming
Here dreaming means too much sleep and always dreaming of lording over material world
Dreaming is natural: Dreaming is always present either in goodness, passion and ignorance
Cannot go beyond fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
18.35 That firmness is mata, considered to be; tamasi, born of tamas; yaya, due to which; durmedha, a person with a corrupt intellect; na vimuncati, does not give up-indeed, holds fast to; svapnam, sleep; bhayam, fear; sokam, sorrow; visadam, despondency; eva ca, as also; madam, sensuality, enjoyment of objects-mentally holding these as things that must always be resorted to, considering them to be greatly important to himself, like a drunkard thinking of wine. The threefold division of action as also of agents according to the differences of the gunas has been stated. After that, now is being stated the threefold division of results and happiness:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
18.35 That Dhrti by which a foolish person does not give up, i.e. persists in, sleep, and sensuous indulgence through the activities of the mind, vital force etc., - that Dhrti is of the nature of Tamas. The terms fear, grief and depression indicate the objects generating fear, grief etc. That Dhrti by which one maintains the activities of the mind, the vital force etc., as a means for these, is of the nature of Tamas.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
18.33-35 Dhrtya etc. upto Tamasi mata. One restrains the activities of his mind, living breath and senses, with Yoga : i.e., thinking 'What is the use for me by enjoying etc. ? Let me be delighted in the Self by all means.' Conseently : not with much indulgence. That content whery one fixes pleasure as his goal only in sleep, fight etc.-that content is of the Tamas (Strand).
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
18.35 That, by which a stupid man does not abandon sleep, fear, grief, despair and also conceit that firmness, O Arjuna, is Tamasic.
Commentary

18.35 यया by which? स्वप्नम् sleep? भयम् fear? शोकम् grief? विषादम् despair? मदम् conceit? एव indeed? च and? न not? विमुञ्चति abandons? दुर्मेधाः a stupid man? धृतिः firmness? सा that? पार्थ O Arjuna? तामसी Tamasic (dark).Commentary The man who is an embodiment of darkness is made up of every possible kind of evil. He is very indolent and sinful. He is inordinately addicted to sleep. He considers these to be only proper. He experiences sorrow on account of his evil actions. As he is very much attached to the body he entertains great fear. He is ever discontented at heart. He is lustful and selfconceited. He does not know how to behave. He is rude and insolent. He indulges much in sensual pleasures.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
18.35 That firmness is considered [Some editions read partha in place of mata (considered).-Tr.] to be born of tamas due to which a person with a corrupt intellect does not give up sleep, fear, sorrow, despondency as also sensuality.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
18.35 And that which clings perversely to false idealism, fear, grief, despair and vanity is the product of Ignorance.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 14.8 BG 14.13 BG 2.11 SB 11.25.30 SB 11.25.4 SB 5.5.4 CC Madhya 22.18 CC Madhya 24.250 CC Antya 3.121 Īśa Upaniṣad 3 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.5
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Determination that does not give up dreaming, fear, lamentation, moroseness, illusion — tamasic.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize tamasic determination's signs: stuck in fear, dreaming, illusion.
  • Don't confuse stuck-ness with persistence.
  • Break out of the loop.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I 'persistent' in a way that's actually stuck?
  • What break-out is needed?
Analogy

A swimmer who clings to a sinking log because letting go feels like death. Fear, gloom, fantasy, and despair are themselves the log. Tāmasa dhṛti is precisely this gripping — durable, exhausting, and pointed straight down.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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