तमस्tamas

तमस् (tamas) is a Sanskrit word meaning darkness or gloom, the darkness of hell or a particular division of hell, the name of a son of Shravas, Daksha, and Prithu-shravas, the darkness of hell or a division of hell, mental darkness, illusion, error, sin, or sorrow, the gloom or darkness of hell. Its 42 recorded definitions are grouped into 14 contexts, among them Physical Darkness or Gloom, Compound Terms: Dispellers of Darkness/Ignorance, Mental Darkness, Ignorance, or Tamas Guṇa.

Root: तम् (tam)
Etymology: E. तम् to be disturbed, and असुन् Unadi affix; that property by which the mind is troubled, the world perplexed, &c.; also तमस and तम
Definitions: 42

View Declension Tables , 72 forms

Meanings by context

Physical Darkness or Gloom

9 definitions

darkness or gloom

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Darkness

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness or gloom. 2. A hell. 3. An eclipse. 4. Error, ignorance, or delusion. 5. Darkness as one of the three fundamental qualities of creation.

— Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness, ignorance, delusion, sin, or sorrow. 2. Rahu, the ascending node.

— Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness. 2. Illusion or error. 3. Ignorance as a quality of nature. 4. Grief or sorrow. 5. Sin.

— Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness. 2. The gloom of hell. 3. The name of a hell. 4. Rahu, the personified ascending node. 5. The quality of darkness and ignorance.

— Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness or gloom. 2. Mental darkness, illusion, error, or ignorance.

— Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Darkness. 2. Spiritual darkness or infatuation. 3. Darkness as one of the three qualities of existence.

— Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary

1. Darkness or gloom. 2. The darkness of hell or a division of hell. 3. The obscuration of the sun or moon during an eclipse, personified as Rahu. 4. Mental darkness, illusion, error, sin, or sorrow. 5. In Samkhya philosophy, the quality of darkness, ignorance, or inertia inherent in nature.

तमस् (tamas) [Printed book page 0364-a]
Tamas, as, n. darkness, gloom; the darkness of

hell, hell itself or a peculiar division of hell; the

obscuration of the sun or moon in eclipses, darkness

personified as Rāhu or the ascending node; mental

darkness, illusion, error (constituting one of the five
Page0364-b+ 81

forms of a-vidyā in the Sāṅkhya phil.), sin, sorrow;

(in the Sāṅkhya phil.) darkness or ignorance as one

of the three qualities or constituents of everything in

creation, the other two being sattva and rajas, see

guṇa; as an inherent quality of nature tamas is

heavy and obstructive, and predominates in earth

and water, whence they fall and tend downwards;

in living beings it is the cause of ignorance, illusion,

lust, anger, pride, sorrow, dulness, and stolidity;

(as), m., N. of a descendant of Gṛtsa-mada, a son

of Śravas and father of Pra-kāśa; N. of a son of

Pṛthu-śravas and father of Uśanas; [cf. Lith. tamsa,

‘darkness;’ tamsus, ‘obscure:’ Russ. temnyi, ‘dark;’

temno-ta, ‘darkness:’ Hib. teim, ‘dark, obscure;’

teimhen, ‘darkness;’ teimheal, ‘an eclipse, dark-

ness:’ Old Germ. demar: Old Sax. thim: Angl.

Sax. dim: Lat. tenebrœ?]. —Tamaḥ-prabhā or

tama-prabhā, f., or tama-prabha or tamaḥ-

prabha, as, m. a hell, one of the lowermost di-

visions of the infernal regions. —Tamaḥ-praveśa,

as, m. groping in the dark; mental perplexity or

aberration. —Tamaḥ-sthita, am, n. ‘situated in

darkness,’ N. of a hell, one of the lowest divisions

of hell. —Tamasā-kṛta, as, ā, am, or tamas-

kalpa, as, ā, am, like darkness, black, gloomy.

—Tamas-kāṇḍa, as, m. or tamas-tati, is, f. great

or spreading darkness. —Tamas-vat, ān, atī, at, hav-

ing darkness, dark, gloomy; (tī), f. night. —Tamas-

vin, ī, inī, i, dark, gloomy; (nī), f. night; turmeric.

—Tamo-gā, ās, ās, am, Ved. roaming in the dark-

ness, concealing himself in darkness, an epithet of

Śuṣṇa. —Tamo-gu, us, m. an epithet of Rāhu, the

personified ascending node, the causer of darkness.

—Tamo-guṇa, as, m. the quality of darkness or

ignorance; see above under tamas. —Tamoguṇin,

ī, inī, i, having the quality of tamas predominant

in the temperament, irascible, ignorant, proud, &c.

—Tamo-ghna, as, ī, am, destroying darkness;

(as), m. the sun; the moon; fire; an epithet of

Viṣṇu; an epithet of Śiva; a Buddha. —Tamo-

jyotis, is, m. ‘light in darkness,’ a fire-fly. —Tamo-

darśana, bilious fever. —Tamo-nud, t, t, t, dis-

persing darkness; (t), m. a shining body; the sun;

the moon; fire; a lamp; light. —Tamo-nuda, as, ā,

am, dispersing darkness; (as), m. the sun; the moon.

—Tamo-'ntakṛt (°mas-an°), t, t, t, making an end

of darkness; (t), m., N. of one of the attendants

of Skanda. —Tamo-'ntya (°mas-an°), as, m. one

of the ten ways in which an eclipse may happen.

—Tamo-'paha (°mas-ap°), as, ā, am, removing

darkness physical or moral, illumining, enlightening;

(as), m. the sun; the moon; fire; a Buddha.

—Tamo-bhid, t, t, t, dispersing darkness; (t), m.

a fire-fly. —Tamo-bhūta, as, ā, am, ‘become dark-

ness,’ dark, covered with darkness; ignorant. —Ta-

mo-maṇi, is, m. ‘the jewel of darkness,’ a kind of

gem; a fire-fly. —Tamo-maya, as, ī, am, consisting

or composed of darkness, derived from it, covered

with it; (as), m. the mind enveloped with darkness,

vexation, anger, one of the five forms of a-vidyā in

the Sāṅkhya phil. —Tamo-'ri (°mas-ari), is, m.

the enemy of darkness, the sun. —Tamo-vat, ān,

atī, at, dark, gloomy; [cf. tamas-vat.] —Tamo-

vikāra, as, m. disease, sickness, (as a modification

of the Guṇa tamas.) —Tamo-vṛta, as, ā, am,

obscured, clouded; overcome with or influenced by

rage, fear, &c., or any of the effects of the property

of darkness. —Tamo-vṛdh, t, t, t, Ved. rejoicing or

delighting in darkness; (Sāy.) growing in the dark-

ness, increasing by the darkness. —Tamo-han, ā,

-ghnī, a, Ved. striking down or dispersing darkness.

—Tamo-hara, as, ā, am, removing darkness, illu-

minating; (as), m. the moon. [ID=20460]

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)

Compound Terms: Dispellers of Darkness/Ignorance

7 definitions

removing darkness or enlightening

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The sun. 2. The moon. 3. Fire. 4. A Buddha.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The sun. 2. The moon. 3. Fire.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The sun. 2. The moon. 3. Fire. 4. Vishnu. 5. Shiva. 6. Knowledge. 7. A Buddha.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. A shining body. 2. The sun. 3. The moon. 4. Fire. 5. A lamp or light.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The sun. 2. The moon. 3. The Supreme Being.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. dispersing darkness. 2. the sun. 3. the moon.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Mental Darkness, Ignorance, or Tamas Guṇa

6 definitions

mental darkness, ignorance, illusion, error, sin, and sorrow

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Mental darkness, illusion, or error

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Darkness or ignorance, as one of the three fundamental qualities in nature

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

see tamas above

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The property of darkness and ignorance. 2. Darkness or gloom. 3. Sin. 4. Sorrow or grief. 5. Rahu, the personified ascending node.

— Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. The property of darkness and ignorance. 2. Darkness or gloom. 3. Sin. 4. Sorrow or grief. 5. Rahu or the personified ascending node.

— Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Compound Terms: Manifestations of Physical Darkness

3 definitions

great or spreading darkness

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

spreading darkness

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. Obscured or clouded. 2. Affected by emotions such as anger or fear.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hell or the Darkness of Hell

3 definitions

the darkness of hell or a particular division of hell

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

The gloom or darkness of hell

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

a sort of hell

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Rāhu, Eclipses, or Astronomical Obscuration

3 definitions

the obscuration of the sun or moon in eclipses, attributed to Rahu

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

an epithet of Rahu

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

an epithet of Rahu

— Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Compound Terms: Entities Associated with Darkness

2 definitions

a firefly

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

a fire-fly

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Etymology or Cross-Reference

2 definitions

darkness

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

See column 1.

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Proper Name of Individuals

2 definitions

the name of a son of Shravas, Daksha, and Prithu-shravas

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

a brahman, son of Shravas and father of Prakash

— Index to the Names in the Mahabharata

Compound Terms: Actions/States in Physical Darkness

1 definition

1. Groping in the dark. 2. Mental gloom.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Compound Terms: Disease/Sickness from Tamas

1 definition

sickness, disease

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Epithet of Śiva

1 definition

an epithet of Shiva

— Index to the Names in the Mahabharata

Sin or Moral Transgression

1 definition

1. Sin. 2. An epithet of Rahu.

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Sorrow or Grief

1 definition

Grief, sorrow

— Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

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Definitions on this page come from 12 works: Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Index to the Names in the Mahabharata, Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary, Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872), Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon.