Bhagavad Gita 18.25 · Krishna
Heedless action
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम्।
मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते॥
anubandhaṃ kṣayaṃ hiṃsāmanapekṣya ca pauruṣammohādārabhyate karma yattattāmasamucyate
Action begun in confusion, ignoring consequences, loss, harm to others, and one's own ability, is called heavy.
Words
- karma
- tamas
What it means
Krishna describes tamasic karma. Action started in confusion. Not thinking about consequences, about what will be lost, about harm to others, or even whether you can do it. It's acting blindly. Not evil exactly, but careless in ways that often hurt people.
The story
The dice game that started this war was tamasic action. Yudhishthira gambled without thinking of the consequences, and lost everything.
In your life
Think of someone driving home after too many drinks, sure they're fine. Heedless action. Before something risky this week, pause and ask, who could this hurt?
Think before you act. Others are affected.