SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
adharmam dharmam ithi yA manyathE thamasAvruthA |
sarvArthAn viparIthAmS cha budhdhi: sA pArtha thAmasI ||
word-by-word meaning
pArtha – Oh son of kunthI!
yA – that knowledge
thamasA AvruthA – covered with thamO guNam
adharmam dharmam ithi manyathE – confusing adharmam to be dharmam
sarvArthAn – all things (which are already present and to be acquired)
viparIthAn cha (manyathE) – understanding contrarily
sA budhdhi: – that knowledge
thAmasI – is caused by thamO guNam
Simple Translation
Oh son of kunthI! That knowledge which is covered with thamO guNam, which confuses adharmam to be dharmam and which understands all things (which are already present and to be acquired) contrarily, is caused by thamO guNam.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘That is Tāmasa-Reason, Pārtha! which enwrapped in gloom, understands all things pervertedly: Adharma as Dharma (etc).’
As for the Tāmasa-Reason, enveloped as it is in Tamas, it perceives all things contrariwise, such as mistaking Adharma (wrong) for Dharma (right); Dharma for Adharma or a fact for a figment; a fancy for a fact; a superior ideal for a base one; a base one for a superior ideal; and so on.
archived in http://githa.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org