Shloka
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् |
मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ||१८-२५||Transliteration
anubandhaṃ kṣayaṃ hiṃsāmanapekṣya ca pauruṣam .
mohādārabhyate karma yattattāmasamucyate ||18-25||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
18.25. The object which is gained, due to ignorance, without considering the result, the loss, the injury to others and the strength [of one’s own]-that is declared to be of the Tamas (Strand).
Shri Purohit Swami
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.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
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.
Sri Ramanuja
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.
Sri Shankaracharya
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.
Swami Adidevananda
18.25 That act is said to be Tamasika which is undertaken through delusion, without regard to conseences, loss, injury and one’s own capacity.
Swami Gambirananda
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.
Swami Sivananda
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).
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
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.