अधर्मं धर्ममिति या मन्यते तमसाऽऽवृता।सर्वार्थान्विपरीतांश्च बुद्धिः सा पार्थ तामसी।।18.32।।
adharmam dharmamiti yā manyate tamasā āvṛtā sarvārthān viparītān ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
Translation
That intellect which is shrouded in darkness, imagining irreligion to be religion, and perceiving all things in the wrong direction, O Partha, is of the mode of ignorance.
Word Meanings
adharmam — irreligion; dharmam — religion; iti — thus; yā — which; manyate — thinks; tamasā — by illusion; āvṛtā — covered; sarvārthān — all things; viparītān — in the wrong direction; ca — also; buddhiḥ — intelligence; sā — that; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; tāmasī — in the mode of ignorance.
Understanding the Verse
In this concluding verse of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes the most degraded form of intellect. The word 'adharmam' (unrighteousness) is mistakenly taken as 'dharmam' (righteousness) by one whose mind is covered by 'tamasā' – the veil of darkness or ignorance. This confusion is not merely a logical error; it is a profound spiritual defect that leads a person to uphold false values and pursue actions that appear virtuous but are fundamentally contrary to the true Dharma.
The phrase 'sarvārthān viparītān ca buddhiḥ' expands the characterization of this intellect. 'Sarvārthān' means 'all purposes' or 'all things', and 'viparītān' denotes 'in the opposite direction' – i.e., seeing every object or goal in a distorted manner. Such a mind evaluates every situation through the lens of falsehood, turning even beneficial deeds into sources of delusion. This inversion of perception is a hallmark of the tamasic mode, where clarity, discrimination, and wisdom are eclipsed.
Krishna addresses Arjuna as 'pārtha', reminding him (and the reader) that this description applies to anyone who has allowed ignorance to dominate. The admonition is both diagnostic and corrective. By naming the defect explicitly, the Lord prepares the seeker to recognize it within oneself and to undertake the necessary spiritual practices—such as sincere devotion, selfless action, and disciplined meditation—to purify the intellect.
The verse also serves a structural purpose: it summarises the threefold division of the material world—sattvic (goodness), rajasic (passion), and tamasic (ignorance)—by highlighting the extreme end of tamas. Throughout the Gita, the path of knowledge (jnana yoga) and the path of devotion (bhakti yoga) are presented as means to transcend this darkness. When the intellect is freed from the obscurations of tamas, it aligns with dharma, sees reality clearly, and acts in harmony with the divine will.
Thus, Chapter 18, Verse 32 concludes the Gita's comprehensive guide to human conduct by warning against the subtle but dangerous tendency to mistake adharma for dharma. It calls the aspirant to vigilant self‑inquiry, to replace ignorance with wisdom, and to cultivate an intellect that discerns the true nature of all actions, thereby moving towards liberation (moksha).
