BG 14.13 — Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 14.13Chapter 14 · Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh

अप्रकाशो ऽप्रवृत्तिश् च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।

तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥

aprakāśo 'pravṛttiś ca pramādo moha eva ca

tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe kuru-nandana

spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip

meaning

When *tamas* swells, O heir of Kuru, four signs appear: dullness of mind, paralysis of will, heedlessness, and delusion.

ekras · bhāṣya

When tamas grows vivriddha, four signs appear: aprakasha — non-illumination; apravritti — paralysis of activity; pramada — heedlessness; moha — delusion. Kuru-nandana.

Krishna names tamas with four signs that are easier to recognize by their absence than their presence. The light is gone; the will is gone; attention is gone; clear seeing is gone.

Shankara reads precisely. Aprakasha is non-illumination — meaning aviveka, loss of discriminative capacity. Apravritti is the complete cessation of purposive activity. Pramada is heedlessness. Moha is delusion, stupefaction.

Shankara reads the four as a cascading sequence: the root is aviveka, and from aviveka the others unfold — without discrimination, no purposive movement; without movement, no attention; without attention, the field collapses into delusion.

Madhusudana gives the most technically precise rendering. Aprakasha is the state where, even when the conditions for awakening — upadesha, teaching — are fully present, there is absolute incapacity for bodha — receptivity to instruction. Apravritti is where, even with full jnana of scriptural injunction such as agnihotram juhuyat, there is absolute incapacity for that injunction's enactment. Pramada is missing the kartavya-artha-anusandhana — attentiveness to what duty requires. Moha is mithya-abhinivesha — fixation on what is untrue. The four together describe a person whom even teaching cannot reach.

Ramanuja maps each term precisely: aprakasha is the non-arising of jnana — knowledge does not dawn. Apravritti is stambhata — inertness, a kind of paralysis. Pramada is the carelessness that results from engagement with what should not be done. Moha is viparita-jnana — inverted cognition, taking the non-real for real. These four together are the diagnostics by which one knows tamas is operating. The bhakta whose own life shows any of them is alerted.

Madhva reads on the bheda-frame: each of the four signs marks a specific mode of paratantra-jiva-bondage under tamas. Aprakasha is the suppression of the cognitive light by which the jiva would recognize its dependence on Hari. Apravritti is the refusal of the dependent action that should follow from that recognition. Pramada is forgetting the recognition altogether. Moha is the active mis-cognition that takes prakriti as the self. Each is a real bondage requiring real grace.

Vallabha reads the four tamo-signs through the panca-parva-avidya schema — five-limbed nescience: tamas is the first and most fundamental stratum, of which andha-tamisra, tamisra, maha-moha, and moha are the remaining four. Aprakasha arises when svarupa-ajna — ignorance of one's own nature as Krishna's — predominates. The fivefold avidya is the field within which tamas operates; pushti-marga grace alone unwinds it.

Shridhara gives the clearest lexical anchors: aprakasha is viveka-bhramsha — collapse of discernment. Apravritti is udyama-abhava — absence of effort. Pramada is kartavya-artha-anusandhana-rahitya — complete lack of attentiveness to what duty requires. Moha is mithya-abhinivesha — false fixation, clinging to what is untrue. Four chinhna, diagnostic marks, by which the bhakta recognizes tamas at work in himself or another.

Context

where

Chapter 14 · Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga · meter anuṣṭubh

who speaks

Krishna → Arjuna

preceded by — BG 14.12

When rajas grows strong, five signs appear: greed, restless activity, compulsive new undertakings, loss of inner quiet, and craving.

What's going on

When tamas swells, O heir of Kuru, four signs appear: dullness of mind, paralysis of will, heedlessness, and delusion.

Sūtras through this verse (29)

MadhvaclassicalT3

Ranking is real — and it never collapsesbetween

6.9Devas, asuras, mortals are three native kinds.───→here14.13───→14.27Brahman has gradations within its own form.

ŚrīdharaclassicalC

Devotion is both the way and the homebetween

12.20These devotees are exceedingly dear.───→here14.13───→14.26Unwavering love fits one for brahman.

VallabhaclassicalB

Grace alone — the technical markbetween

11.54Undivided love — sādhana stripped, grace-clothed.───→here14.13───→14.26Beyond the modes is grace-rooted love.

show all 29

MadhvaclassicalT4

Liberation is bliss in body — not absorptionbetween

14.2At creation's reissue the released remain free.───→here14.13───→15.6The supreme abode does not return its dwellers.

MadhvaclassicalT6

Citation is the spine — texts carry the loadbetween

14.3Kāṣāyaṇa-śruti gives three goddesses one job each.───→here14.13───→18.14Āyāsya-śruti closes the agency question.

MadhvaclassicalT10

The deluder is named — three goddesses, one Lordbetween

14.3Three goddesses named in a single śruti.───→here14.13───→15.4Cut the world-tree by knowing whose play it is.

MadhvaclassicalT11

Only revealed scripture decides — reason alone cannotbetween

2.72Akṣapāda and Kaṇāda are simply ruled out.───→here14.13───→14.27What stands behind brahman is fixed by named texts.

MadhvaclassicalT8

Direct vision — the only proximate causeexit

13.25Three classes, one ladder, each class on a different rung.───→here14.13───→

ŚrīdharaclassicalH

The grammar of single-pointednessbetween

12.6Single-aim devotion draws the lifting hand.───→here14.13───→14.26Unswerving devotion crosses the modes.

ŚrīdharaclassicalL

Chapter prefaces as the bhāṣya's spinebetween

14.1Now, the highest of all knowings.───→here14.13───→15.1Dispassion first; else neither knowing nor love.

RamsukhdasclassicalB

This human birth — your one chance to actbetween

9.32Even the low-born reach the highest goal.───→here14.13───→14.18The modes decide which womb is next.

RamsukhdasclassicalD

The three modes (sattva, rajas, tamas) at workbetween

14.5Three modes bind the imperishable.───→here14.13───→14.18Sattva up, rajas mid, tamas downward.

RamsukhdasclassicalG

Equanimity in everythingbetween

12.13Friend to all, equal in cold and in heat.───→here14.13───→14.24Past the modes, equal in praise and blame.

Ramsukhdasclassical

Sādhaka Sañjīvanī commentary at this versebetween

───→here14.13───→

ŚrīdharaclassicalG

Soul as His portion, neither cut nor identicalapproach

───→here14.13───→14.26Fit for the state of brahman, not fused.

ŚrīdharaclassicalI

His evenness as ground for refugeexit

13.10A steady evenness is the seeker's mark.───→here14.13───→

VallabhaclassicalD

Chapter-opening preludesbetween

14.1Two-verse prelude names guṇa-vibhāga.───→here14.13───→18.1Closing chapter's prelude seals the program.

VallabhaclassicalI

A closed three-source citation gridbetween

11.54Bhāgavata + Brahmasūtra fuse at the vision-verse.───→here14.13───→14.26Brahman dwells in the one beyond the modes.

MadhusūdanaclassicalH

Krishna with form is the ground beneath formless Brahmanbetween

13.13Not a power-of-the-Lord; the Lord himself, formless.───→here14.13───→14.27I am the foundation of formless Brahman itself.

MadhusūdanaclassicalI

Liberation while alive — the body finishes its runbetween

12.20The middle six closes on the fearless ripened one.───→here14.13───→14.27The brahma-ground obtains in this body.

VallabhaclassicalE

Three paths, one teaching orderexit

13.2The third ṣaṭka is the Lord's own bhāṣya.───→here14.13───→

MadhusūdanaclassicalA

Three groups of six: you, the Lord, the joiningexit

13.1The last six work what 'are' really means.───→here14.13───→

ĀnandagiriclassicalG

Anūdyate, na vidhīyatebetween

13.7Twenty jñāna-qualities: still description.───→here14.13───→14.22Guṇātīta-lakṣaṇa follows the same rule.

ĀnandagiriclassicalJ

Prakṛti is never autonomousbetween

14.1Modes belong to the Lord's prakṛti.───→here14.13───→15.7Aṃśa pinned to the Lord, not free.

RāmānujaclassicalC

Three ṣaṭkas (1–6 / 7–12 / 13–18)between

14.1Beyond sāṅkhya: the modes that bind.───→here14.13───→18.1The closing chapter gathers all questions.

RāmānujaclassicalK

Tri-guṇa diagnostic for the bhaktabetween

14.5Three modes bind the soul.───→here14.13───→14.17Each mode, its effect.

AbhinavaguptaclassicalF

Three guṇas: contractions of one consciousnessbetween

14.5Three primary contractions of cit.───→here14.13───→14.19Past the modes by recognizing, not replacing.

Gauravmodernthree_yogas_braid

Three Yogas Braidexit

12.12'Shreyo hi jnanam abhyasaj jnanad dhyanam vishishyate, dhyanat karma-phala-tyaga───→here14.13───→

JayatīrthaclassicalA

Body and embodied — the inference runs on the dehī sideexit

13.5Field and knower: body-self cut returns.───→here14.13───→

Śabda · lemmas (12 unique · 13 occurrences)

एतानि etad — this (proximal demonstrative) · nominative neuter plural noun
जायन्ते √jan — to be born; to produce (verbal root) · present indicative 3rd person plural verb
विवृद्धे vi-√vṛdh — to grow, increase (vi- + √vṛdh 'grow') · locative neuter singular participle noun

show all 12

च ca ×2 — and; (homonym: also the consonant ca)
अप्रकाशः aprakāśa — (a- + prakāśa: light) · nominative masculine singular noun
अप्रवृत्तिः apravṛtti — (a- + pravṛtti: engagement) · nominative feminine singular noun
प्रमादः pramāda — negligence, intoxication, heedlessness (pra- + √mad) · nominative masculine singular noun
मोहः moha — delusion, infatuation, bewilderment · nominative masculine singular noun
एव eva — indeed, truly, only (emphatic particle)
तमसि tamas — darkness, inertia (the third guṇa); ignorance · locative neuter singular noun
कुरु kuru — Kuru (the dynastic name); imperative of √kṛ (do!) · compound
नन्दन nandana — delighting, son, joy · vocative masculine singular noun

Praśna · so what (7)

01If tamas produces aprakasha (non-illumination) even when teaching is present, what does this say about the limits of pedagogy — and what must change in the learner before instruction can take hold?
02Sridhara distinguishes pramada (inattentiveness to duty) from moha (false fixation): can you name a situation in your life where you mistook one for the other — and how would the correct diagnosis have changed your response?

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03Madhusudana says apravritti means that jnana of the right action has already arisen but tamas blocks the translation into action. How does this differ from ordinary weakness of will — and does it require a different remedy?
04Vallabha embeds tamas within a five-fold avidya scheme. Does categorizing ignorance with this much precision help dissolve it, or is the very act of categorizing another move of the tamassic intellect?
05Ramanuja's 'viparita-jnana' (inverted cognition) as a sign of tamas: in contemporary life, where is inverted cognition most socially rewarded — and what does that tell us about the collective guna-state?
06All six schools agree that these four signs co-arise when tamas is vivrddha (fully grown). Does this mean one must wait for full growth before the signs are readable — or are there earlier, subtler diagnostic markers the bhashyas imply but do not name?
07Shankara treats these four as linga (inferential marks) for tamas, not as tamas itself. What is the epistemological importance of that distinction — and does it matter practically for sadhana?

Vyavahāra · try it in your life

Advaita

When you notice you cannot distinguish what matters from what does not — when all choices feel equally weighted or equally meaningless — this is aprakasha, the signature of tamas. The Advaita remedy is not more activity but shravana (hearing the teaching again): sit with a qualified text or teacher and let viveka re-ignite. Do not attempt major decisions until the discriminative faculty has returned.

Viśiṣṭādvaita

Ramanuja's 'stambhata' (paralysis) shows up as the inability to begin even small acts of service — replying to a message, attending to a task, showing up for someone who needs you. The Vaishnava remedy is not self-criticism but small kainkarya (service): one concrete act of service to another, offered as worship to Bhagavan, breaks the freeze more reliably than resolve alone.

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Dvaita

When you find yourself cycling through heedlessness — forgetting obligations, missing what is right in front of you — the Dvaita reading reminds you this is not a character flaw but tamas masking your natural dependence on Hari. The practice is surrender through nama-smarana (remembrance of the divine name), not self-improvement effort, which tamas will simply absorb.

Śuddhādvaita

Vallabha's five-fold avidya map suggests that what presents as 'I don't know who I am' (svarupa-ajna) cascades into every downstream confusion — bodily, emotional, mental, relational. The Pusti-marga application: when you are lost in any of these layers, return to Krsna-svarupa contemplation rather than trying to fix the downstream symptom. The root avidya dissolves in the light of Krishna's presence.

Bhakti

Sridhara's 'mithya-abhinivesha' (false fixation) is the tamassic pattern of clinging to a view, a grievance, or a self-story long after evidence has contradicted it. The bhakti diagnostic: if you notice you cannot update your position even when shown clearly that it is wrong, this is moha in Sridhara's precise sense. The remedy is a daily reading of scripture with the explicit intention to be corrected — using the text as mirror rather than confirmation.

Advaita-Bhakti

Madhusudana's 'avyabhicarin linga' (unfailing marks) framework offers a practical self-audit: each morning, check which of the four signs is present — non-receptivity to teaching, inability to act on what you already know is right, inattentiveness to the present duty, or sleep-like confusion. Name the one that is most active. Then bring Krsna-bhakti specifically to that symptom: not generic devotion but targeted surrender of that specific tamo-expression to the Lord.

Adhiṣṭhāna · substrate signature

substratev2.6-frozen

parserByT5-Sanskrit-multitask (Nehrdich/Hellwig/Keutzer EMNLP 2024)

mūlaBelvalkar critical edition (BORI 1947), via Ambuda multi-witness

show all metadata

weightsa=1 · b=0.01 · e_v=0.005 · z=0.2 · h=0 · th=0.01

anchorfit on Ramsukhdas's Sādhak Sañjīvanī (1980), frozen across the eight-commentator panel; cross-validated R@4 = 71.6% on Śaṅkara

extracted2026-04-21

methodPaper 1, Section II.B

↓ view raw per-verse object (JSON)↗ per-verse-object schema ↗ substrate code (MIT) + data (CC-BY 4.0)

The schema generalizes to any bounded-polysemy corpus with discrete primary text units, attested witness traditions, identifiable schools, and formal substrate. Port the per-verse object; refit weights on a domain-appropriate Layer-3 anchor; ship.

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 14, Verse 13: Krishna to Arjuna — Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga