Tamasic intellect calls wrong right.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसावृता |सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी ||१८-३२||
adharmaṃ dharmamiti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā . sarvārthānviparītāṃśca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī ||18-32||
Use this verse as a serious self-deception warning.
Meaning
O Partha, that intellect is tamasic which, covered by darkness, considers adharma to be dharma and sees all things in a reversed way.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Tamasic intellect reverses right and wrong.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna describes a dangerous inversion of values. When tamas covers the intellect, harmful, false, or degrading things may appear justified, noble, or normal.
Read the traditional commentary
Tamasic buddhi is intellect wholly wrapped in darkness, so inverted that it mistakes adharma for dharma and sees everything backwards. Right appears wrong and wrong appears right; the very compass of judgment is reversed.
This is the most dangerous state of mind, for it is not merely mistaken but confidently mistaken, certain that its perversion is truth. Where rajasic intellect at least half-sees, tamasic intellect is fully deluded, calling cruelty kindness and ruin progress. Krishna's warning is sobering: the darkened mind cannot trust its own conclusions, which is why the seeker must cultivate sattva, study, and good company to keep perception true.
In daily life
Challenge any belief that justifies harm, deceit, or degradation.
A person may call manipulation smart strategy, but sattvic review reveals it as adharma.
Try this today
Name one rationalization and test it against truth and harm.
I seek truth when my judgment is clouded.Reflect
What wrong thing am I justifying as right?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘सर्वार्थान्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on ignorance, in other chapters
- Verse 14.8The most dangerous bondage is the one that dulls you to its own presence — heedlessness, laziness, and stupor.
- Verse 5.15The Divine doesn't tally your sins and merits — your suffering comes from ignorance, and the cure is self-knowledge.
- Verse 7.13We are mesmerised by life's changing qualities and miss the changeless Divine behind them — wake from the trance and look deeper.
- Verse 17.19Discipline guided by delusion, self-harm, or hatred is the lowest of all — effort must be steered by wisdom and compassion, never malice.
Swipe left for 18.33 · Sattvic firmness sustains inner discipline.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.32
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.32, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.32, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.32 mean?
O Partha, that intellect is tamasic which, covered by darkness, considers adharma to be dharma and sees all things in a reversed way. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.32 for daily life?
Challenge any belief that justifies harm, deceit, or degradation. A person may call manipulation smart strategy, but sattvic review reveals it as adharma.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.32 mean?
अधर्मं धर्मम् इति — adharma as dharma; या मन्यते — which thinks / regards; तमसा आवृता — enveloped in darkness; सर्वार्थान् — all things / matters; विपरीतान् च — perverted / contrary.
Where does verse 18.32 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 32 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.33.