Tamas

Tamas means darkness, illusion, ignorance, inertia, inactivity, dullness etc. It is one of the three fundamental qualities along with sattva and rajas. Tamas has two significant characters i.e. resistance and heaviness. These are responsible for restraining or controlling thoughts. It induces lethargy, fatigue, sleep etc. As per Bhagavad Gita, tamas is responsible for ignorance and sleep. It is the leading cause of darkness in the mind, negligence & delusion, illusion & hallucinations.The excessive lazy and sleepy person has a tamas dominant psychic constitution (Tamasika manas prakriti). [Cha. Sa. ShariraSthana 4/36] This article describes the concept and applications of tamas.

Contributors

Section/Chapter/topic	Concepts/Tamas
Authors	Bhojani M. K. 1, Kabadwal Dipti2
Reviewer	Basisht G.2,
Editor	Deole Y.S.3
Affiliations	1 Department of Sharir Kriya, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India 2Department of Samhita Siddhant, A.I.I.A., New Delhi, India 3 Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. 4Department ofKayachikitsa, G.J.Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India
Correspondence emails	meera.samhita@aiia.gov.in, carakasamhita@gmail.com
Publisher	Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India
Date of publication:	November 21, 2022
DOI	In process

Etymology and derivation

Tamas is the Sanskrit word that means darkness, inert, dullness or inactivity. It is derived from the word ‘tama’ meaning darkness.

Classical interpretations

Sattva, rajas, and tamas are connected with three doshas (Vata, pitta, kapha) [Su. Sa. ShariraSthana 4/23] Therefore, all neurophysiological functions of the body are coordinated by them. Tamas has been described in the context of three types of mental strengths (trividha sattva), psychological constitutions (prakriti), & psychological characteristics (manasaguna). [Cha. Sa. ShariraSthana 4/36]

• It is mentioned in the context of three fundamental universal qualities (mahaguna) [As Sa, sutra sthana 1/41].
• Tama is described under mahaprakriti [Su. Sa. ShariraSthana 4/97] & twelve pranas. [Su. Sa. ShariraSthana 4/3]
• Tamas is described as karanadravya. (Acharya Prabhakara)

Properties of tamas: Pungent (katu) & astringent (kashaya) [As. Sa. Sutra Sthana 12/91] a]. It increases the desire for pleasure (kamavardhaka), reduces fatigue in the body and mind (klamahara), responsible for darkness. It leads to confusion (mohajanak), hallucination (drikabhramaka), heaviness (guru), and forgetfulness (avaraka). [Bhava Prakash Nighantu 1: 4: 273]

Characteristics of tamasika person

Overthinker or depressed (vishada), atheist (naastika), does not follow proper rules & regulations (adharmasheela), lethargy (akarmasheela), fond of excessive sleep (nidaralu), senseless (durmedhastvam). [Su. Sa. ShariraSthana 1/18]

Interrelationship of tamas with five basic elements (panchamahubhuta) and dosha

During the evolutionary process, the five basic elements are created by the combination of triguna.12) [Su Sa ShariraSthana 1/3-4] The earth element (prithvimahabhuta) is created by tamas. [SuSa. ShariraSthana 1/20]. Sattva entity is cause for reflection of a person's purity, essence, and intelligence. Rajas is responsible for all the movements of body or mind. Tamas is responsible for the equilibrium of the quality of sattva and rajas. Kapha dosha is made up of water (jala), earth (prithvi).[As. sa. Sutra Stana20/3] Kapha dosha maintains the equilibrium of vata and pitta dosha and also reduces adverse effects of vata& pitta dosha. Rajas is connected with vata dosha, sattva with pitta dosha, and tamas with kapha dosha as per similarity in creation and functions. he diet and regimen that increases physical entities also enhance psychological entities.

Diet and regimen that increases the quality of tamas

The food that makes the mind sluggish and promotes diseases increases tamas.

As per Bhagavad Gita, tamasika food requires a lot of energy and time to digest. It has a grounding effect, usually creating passivity and reducing body and mind activity. Characters of the food liked by tamasika person are as follow:

1. Yatayamam: The food which has passed a three and half hours time (one yama) after its preparation.
2. Gatarasa (tasteless): The food which has lost its original taste and quality because of over or under-cooking, without adding all ingredients that are required for preparation.
3. Pooti (putrid): Food that has a putrid odor. Ex. garlic, onion, mushroom, frozen etc.
4. Parushita (stale food): Packed bread, bottled or canned food, preserved food etc.
5. Amedhya: Food that reduces intelligence, concentration, and coordination of body & mind. It deprives mental health. Junk foods like cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, sugary drink, energy & soft drink, snacks such as chips, excessive alcohol, processed meat etc.

Food preparation and processing methods play a significant role in determining the post-digestive effects of nutrition on health. Fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient rich components are usually sattvika in nature. It becomes rajasika after mixing extra spices into food. Over or under-cooking of food leads to tamasika food.

Effect of tamas on body & mind

In its normal limits, tamas regulates the functions of mind and senses. Excess of tamas causes avoidance, crudeness, laziness, poor memory, restlessness, and fatigue, reducing physiological and mental activity by suppressing the function of rajas. [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sthana 24/25-43]

Classification

The tamas dominant manas prakriti (psychic constitution) is broadly classified into three types:

1. Pashava (animal trait): The person who can’t deal with the trickysituation (nirakarishnum), is senseless (amedhyam), has less amount of food & exercise (jugupsitacharahara), has pleasure towards excess coitus (maithunam) & excess sleepy (param swapnsheelam) shows pashava trait in tamas constitution.
2. Maatsya (fish trait): Coward (bheeru), unintellectual (abudham), fond of food (aaharlubdha), frail body & mind (anavasthita), always having anger & desires (anushakatakamakrodham), mobile (saranasheelam), likes water (toyakaamam) are characteristic features of fish trait in tamas constitution.
3. Vanaspatya (tree trait): Excessive laziness (aalasyam), always fond of food (kevalambhininivishtamaahare), void of external and internal wisdom (sarvabudhyangaheenam), who does not follow rules and regulations, lack of wealth and dignity (sattvadharmarthakamavarjitam) are characteristic features of tree trait in tamas constitution. [Cha. Sa. shariraSthana 4/39]

Applied aspect

Tamas is involved as an essential pathogenic factor in some diseases given below.

1. Intoxication, psychoneurosis (mada)
2. Unconsciousness (murccha)
3. Extreme alcoholism (madatayaya)
4. Coma (sanyasa)
5. Insanity (unmada)
6. Epilepsy (apasmara)
7. Intellectual defects (prajnaparadha)
8. Hallucination, delusion, obsession, illusion (attatvabhinivesha)
9. Lust (kama)
10. Confusion (moha)
11. Grief (shoka)
12. Depression (vishada)
13. Drowsiness (tandra)

Psychiatric features related to tamas

1. Delusion: It is a false belief based on incorrect inferences. This symptom is usually seen in schizophrenia.
2. Hallucinations: It isa false perception by special senses without any external stimulus. Hallucination may be seen in insanity, high-grade fever, & in drug poisoning.
3. Illusion: It is the false perception by the special senses of external stimuli.
4. Impulse: A sudden desire to do something without external stimuli or thinking about the result. usually this character is seen in dementia, epilepsy etc
5. Obsession: Excessive thoughts, ideas, or emotions that cannot be eliminated logically
6. Lucid internal: It is the period at which all signs and symptoms of insanity are not visible, and the person's behavior looks healthy.

General principles of treatment

Maintaining nutritional status, prevention & cure of mental illness needs proper living conditions & environment that promotes mental health. Following are principles for the prevention and treatment of pacifying tamas relating disorders.

• Intake of a balanced diet
• Following rules and regulations for the preparation & intake of food (ashthaaharavidhivisheshayatana) and dietary guidelines (aharavidhi)
• Daily regimen (dinacharya)
• Night regimen (ratricharya)
• Seasonal regimen (ritucharya)

Specific treatments of tamas dominant disorders

1. Restraining psychological urges (manasikavega dharana): Psychological urges like greed (lobha), grief (shoka), fear (bhaya), jealousy (irshya), dislike (dwesha), infatuation (raga), arrogance (ahankara), shameless (nirlajja) etc. shall be controlled. [Cha. Sa. Sutra Sharira 7/25-29]
2. Spiritual therapy (daivavyapashrayachikitsa): It includes chanting & listening to mantras, homa , fasting (upavasa), aushadhi, wearing of mani, auspicious ceremony (mangala), gifts (upahara) following of auspicious & spiritual rules (niyama), respect of almighty (pranipata) are an integral part of daivayapashrayachikitsa. This leads to activating the normal functioning of sattva and removes excessive tamas & rajas.
3. Rational therapy (yuktivyapashrayachikitsa): Aimed at rational use of medicines (internal & external or both) and food (Ahara). Which are further classified into two types:
1. Shamana: This normalizes the dosha in the body. Some medicines indicated in mental illness are described below:

Single drugs	Centella asiatica Linn. (Mandukaparni), Convolvulaspleuricaulis (Shankhapushpi), Tinospora cordifolia Miers. (Guduchi), Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. (Madhuyashthi) 24) [Cha. Sa. ChikitsaSthana 1/30-31]
Ghee	Kalyanakaghrita, mahakalyanakghritapanchagavyaghrita, purana ghrita, prapuranaghrita [Cha. Sa. ChikitsaSthana 9/35-61] Mahapaishachikaghrita, Brahmi ghrita, Lashunadighrita, Shatadhautaghrita,) [Cha. Sa. ChikitsaSthana 10/17-25] etc.
Syrup	Shankhapushpi
Oil	Shadapidutailam [Bhaisajyaratnavali, Shirorogadhikara 65/81-83]
Rasa aushadhi	Smritisagara rasa, [YogaratnakarApasamaraChikitsa] Unmadagajankusha rasa[BhaishajyaratnavaliUnmadaRogadhikara]

2. Purification procedures (shodhana) : Elimination of excessively aggravated dosha leads to equilibrium in body. Panchakarma treatment like vamana,virechana, nasya, niruha, anuvasana are described in mental illness. [Ch. Sa. ChikitsaSthana 10/61]

References