Bhagavad Gita 18.28 · Krishna
The heavy doer
अयुक्तः प्राकृतः स्तब्धः शठो नैष्कृतिकोऽलसः।
विषादी दीर्घसूत्री च कर्ता तामस उच्यते॥
ayuktaḥ prākṛtaḥ stabdhaḥ śaṭho naiṣkṛtiko’alasaḥviṣādī dīrghasūtrī ca kartā tāmasa ucyate
A doer who is unsteady, coarse, stubborn, deceitful, spiteful, lazy, gloomy and always delaying is called heavy.
Words
- tamas
What it means
Krishna describes the tamasic doer. Unfocused. Coarse. Stubborn. Dishonest. Spiteful. Lazy. Gloomy. And dirghasutri, the procrastinator, who keeps stretching tasks out. Everyone has days like this. It's a state to notice and lift, not a label to wear forever.
The story
Krishna isn't describing villains here. He's describing the heaviness that can settle on anyone, even a hero like Arjuna on his worst day.
In your life
Think of a week when you kept postponing a simple email, feeling worse each day. Do the smallest version of one delayed task today. Just five minutes.
Lift heaviness with one small step.