Shades of Tamas

A word expresses various meanings depending on the context. This was best realized by Patanjali, the author of Mahabhashya (a large commentary on the Ashtadhyayi Sutras of Panini), when he said: ‘ekah shabdah samyag-jnatah svarge loke kama-dhug bhavati’ (a word properly applied can beget immense joy). At present we shall try to narrate how the word ‘Tamas’ has been used in classical scriptures to mean vastly diverse meanings. In absence of clarity, one may get confused and try to draw an incorrect meaning. This can easily create confusion. Hence this small effort to serve with basic clarity.

‘Tamas’ generally means a wide variety of things, e.g., darkness, gloom, covering, enveloping, inertia, heaviness, lowly, down etc.

Let us briefly examine select classes of scriptures in their chronological order:

a)  The Rig-Veda says: ‘Tama asit tamasa guldham-agre’: ‘in the beginning, there existed only Tamas and all was enveloped by Tamas’.  In this context, Tamas does not stand for darkness. It rather means ‘the immense, unexpressed, hidden and unexplored’ potentiality. It is the seed of all in the universe which cannot be seen yet. It is just as a seed placed in the soil. A large tree is not seen in the seed as of now. Therefore, the tree is not in the darkness at all. Rather it is in the waiting to be blossomed.  Tamas here in the Vedas is not a ‘creative quality’ (i.e., ‘Guna’ as we see in the later scriptures). However, here it is the mysterious cause of all causes in the material universe. ‘Tamas’ here is ‘mystery’, the unknown, the unknowable origin of the creation.             

It is interesting to learn that the Vedic scriptures did not use ‘Tamas’ to convey the meaning as the later scriptures did. The difference in use of the same word differs widely.

Note:  Why Tamas here means ‘unknown’?  Unknown does not mean non-existent, but non-identifiable.  For cognition of a thing, there must be at least three agents: the knower, the process of knowledge and the knower. In the non-creation state there is no presence of three agents. The very moment creation is rolled out; all these three agents come into existence.     

b)  Samkhya Karika of Isvara-Krishna and Yoga-Sutra of Patanjali: Since these two Darshana texts share the same worldview, their use of the terminologies too have lot in common.  This is what these sister Darshanas have to say about Tamas: 

‘Prakriti’ is the state of balance (Samya-Avastha), the non-creating mode.  But, no doubt, Prakriti is pregnant with the potentiality*. The potentiality comprises Satva, Rajas and Tamas. When due to unknown reason, the balanced state of Prakriti is disturbed, it explodes to create the creation. All the three Gunas come out in the open to show their true color. We see the entire universe only in these three states or Gunas: Light (Satva), Motion (Rajas) and Inertia (Tamas).

* How to prove that these three Gunas were lying latent in the state of Prakriti? This is validated by use of a logical conclusion. It is known as the theory of ‘Sat-Karya-Vada’.

According to this theory, ‘the effect already exists in the cause in a potential condition’. So it is not basically a new creation and different from its material cause. But effect is only an explicit manifestation of that which is already contained in its material cause. For example, a pot is not different from the clay. The form of a pot has already been in the clay.  A cloth is not different from the thread or cotton.

 

Therefore, in this Darshana, Tamas conveys something different from what the Vedas used it for.         

c)  The Gita and Ayurveda: There are many places where ‘Tamas’ appear in these texts, especially in the books of Ayurveda. In most of the cases, it conveys almost the same what Samkhya used it for, i.e., quality. Quality of various things such as a human tendency, quality of food, season, time etc.

The Gita in its last chapter narrates three types of food and people on the basis of Satva, Rajas and Tamas. (This is undoubtedly practical and useful. One can actually make use of this practical guideline to manage one’s dominanting inclination. Say, if someone has predominance of Tamas, one can carefully change over to Satvika food and Satvika life-style. Thus one can comfortably overcome excessive inertia and dullness).

It will be worthwhile to note that the science of Ayurveda makes use of Tamas (as well as Satva and Rajas) to augment its plan of understanding forces in the nature such as seasons, time of the day and night, age of a person and quality of medicinal herbs and metals etc. Being well equipped with this valid theory of three Gunas, Ayurveda makes an effective plan for management of health and treating health disorders. In fact, entire principle of Ayurveda stands on the principle of three Gunas.       

This short discussion is to shed light on changed use of a word over a long period of time to convey vastly different meaning.

d)  Yoga of Patanjali: Vyasa Bhashya (i.8) has a different approach to Tamas. It is more elaborate and critical. Let us have a look at it in following lines.

This is what Vyasa, the first commentator on Yogasutra of Patanjali-i.8 has to say. Vyasa like Isvara-Krishna (author of Samkhya Karika) thinks that Tamas is another name for the mother-instinct Avidya.

saoyaM pHcapvaa- Bavait AivaVa. AivaVaismataragadvaoYaaiBainavaoSaa: @laoSaa [it. et eva svasaM&aiBastmaao maaohao mahamaaohstaimasa`ao|nQataimasa` [it.  

Avidya: It is five-fold, five layers, five degrees. It is very deep inside. All these layers are of the nature of Tamas. Tamas of varied intensity, general to extreme, or simple to complex or easy to identify to quite difficult to identify.

What are these five layers?

Avidya is Tamas, ignorance in general is common ignorance; it means not knowing the true nature of the Self in relation to the universe;

Asmita is Moha, ‘I-am-ness’ is of the nature of perplexity and illusion;

Raga is Mahaa-Moha, attachment is much more intense and deep down inside the human psyche;

Dvesha is Tamisra, very dark is the nature of envy, envy towards all around, though extremely tough to locate and recognize; and,

Abhinivesha is Andha-Tamisra, this is height of gloom.  What is this? Identity to one’s own physical existence. Conversely, it is absence of realization that one is not body.  One can rarely be convinced of this extremely dark cover or blind-fold and the role it plays in all spheres of life all the time. 

 

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