''Tamas'' (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: तमस् ''tamas'', ) is one of the three ''
guṇas'' (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the
Samkhya school of
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
.
[James G. Lochtefeld, Guna, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 1, Rosen Publishing, , p. 265.] The other two qualities are ''
rajas'' (passion and activity) and ''
sattva'' (purity, goodness). ''Tamas'' is the quality of inertia, inactivity, dullness, or lethargy. Generally it is referred to as the lowest ''guṇa'' of the three.
Etymology
The
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...
word ''támas'' refers to "darkness." The
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
word ''*temH-es'', means "dark", and the
Lithuanian word ''tamsa'', mean "darkness."
Serbian word "tama" means "darkness".
Hinduism
In
Samkhya philosophy, a is one of three "tendencies, qualities": ''
sattva'', ''
rajas'' and ''tamas''. This category of qualities have been widely adopted by various schools of Hinduism for categorizing behavior and natural phenomena. The three qualities are:
* ''
Sattva'' is the quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, universalizing, holistic, positive, peaceful, virtuous.
* ''
Rajas'' is the quality of passion, activity, being driven, moving, dynamic.
[Feuerstein, Georg The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga, Shambhala Publications, 1997][
* ''Tamas'' is the quality of dullness or inactivity, apathy, inertia or lethargy.][Whicher, Ian '' The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana'', 1998 SUNY Press, 110]Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
, Chapter 18, verses 23–25 1
In Indian philosophy, these qualities are not considered as present in either-or fashion. Rather, everyone and everything has all three, only in different proportions and in different contexts.[ The living being or substance is viewed as the net result of the joint effect of these three qualities.][
According to the Samkya school, no one and nothing is either purely Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic.][ One's nature and behavior is a complex interplay of all ''guṇas'' in varying degrees. In some, the conduct is Rajasic with significant influence of Sattvic ''guṇa;'' in some it is Rajasic with significant influence of Tamasic ''guṇa'', and so on.][Alban Widgery (1930), The principles of Hindu Ethics, International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 40, No. 2, pages 234-237]
In Bhagavad Gita verse 18.32, the influence of ''tamas'' on '' buddhi'' is described as where a person "regards wickedness as virtue and virtue as wickedness".
Sikhism
The Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
scripture refers to ''tamas'' in its verses:
*"The Fourteenth Day: one who enters into the fourth state, overcomes time, and the three qualities of ''rajas'', ''tamas'', and ''sattva''." (SGG
*"Those who embody the energies of ''sattva''-white light, ''rajas''-red passion, and ''tamas''-black darkness, abide in the Fear of God, along with the many created forms." (SGG
*"Your Power is diffused through the three gunas: ''rajas'', ''tamas'' and ''sattva''." (SGG
*"''Rajas'', the quality of energy and activity; ''tamas'', the quality of darkness and inertia; and ''sattva'', the quality of purity and light, are all called the creations of Maya (religion), Maya, Your illusion. That man who realizes the fourth state – he alone obtains the supreme state." (SGG
See also
* Static foods#Sedative foods, Tamasic foods
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamas (Philosophy)
Guna