Tamoguna, Tamas-guna, Tamōguṇa, Tamoguṇa: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Tamoguna means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Tamogun.
In Hinduism
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण) refers to “material mode of ignorance, or darkness”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण) refers to the “quality of tamas”, according to Mukunda’s Saṃvartārthaprakāśa.—Accordingly, [while describing the three currents of teachers]: “(1) Divyaugha: One should think of the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Divine Current as the quality of sattva, as the worlds of the Sun and Fire etc. and as possessing the nature of deity. (2) Mānavaugha: One should contemplate the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Current of Men as the quality of rajas, as the Moon and Water etc and as possessing a human nature. (3) Siddhaugha: One should recollect the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Current of Siddhas as the quality of tamas [e.g., tamoguṇa], as darkness, Space and the Air etc and possessing a supernatural being’s nature”.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण) refers to one of the Three Guṇas associated with the Mahāmāyā emanation of Lakṣmī, as discussed in chapter 5 of the Lakṣmītantra: a Pāñcarātra text comprising some 3600 Sanskrit verses exclusively devoted to Goddess Lakṣmī or Śrī (the consort of Viṣṇu) besides dealing with cosmology and practical regarding Vaishnava priests and temple-building programs.—Description of the chapter [prākṛtasṛṣṭi-prakāśa]: In this chapter Lakṣmī speaks of her forms and activities when each of one of the three guṇas dominates. [E.g., when tamoguṇa characterizes her being she appears as Mahāmāyā who, with Saṇkarṣaṇa, creates Rudra or Śaṅkara along with Trayī;] [...]. Of these generations, the following creatively conjoin: Viriñci with Trayī, Rudra with Gaurī and Viṣṇu with Śrī—and up to this point this is called the first stage of creation (1-14). [...]
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Tamoguna refers undesirable health effects caused by elements such as late-night sleep, the prevention of which plays an important role in Dinacharya (daily regimen): A set of Ayurvedic principles which aims to improve physical, mental and spiritual well-being of an individual.—Late night sleeping or chronic sleep loss causes the elevation of cortisol which in turn is responsible for rise in B.P. (secondary hypertension) and is likely to promote the development of insulin resistance, risk factor for obesity and diabetes. Effects of late sleeping and also late get upping from bed include an increase of rajo-guna and tamo-guna due to suppression of sattva-guna.
Tamoguna causes:
- Ati-nidra (Sleepiness);
- Buddhi-nasha (Lack of intelligence power);
- Agyana/Ajnana (Lack of Knowledge);
- Alasya (Lethargy);
- Adharma.
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण) refers to the “attribute named Tamas” (associated with Dhātrī—myrobalan), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.26 (“The Vanishing of Viṣṇu’s delusion”).—Accordingly, “[As the gods sowed those seeds in the ground where the pyre of Vṛndā had been lit]: O sage, they stayed there thinking these as parts of Śiva’s Śakti. Out of the seeds sown, O great sage, three plants shot up—the Myrobalan, the Jasmine and the holy basil. The Myrobalan is born of the creator’s Śakti, the jasmine of Lakṣmī and holy basil of Gaurī, born of the attributes Tamas (tamoguṇa), Sattva and Rajas. [dhātryudbhavā smṛtā dhātrī mābhavā mālatī smṛtā | gaurībhavā ca tulasī tamassattvarajoguṇāḥ] [...]”;
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
tamōguṇa (तमोगुण).—m (S tamas & guṇa) The third of the three qualities incident to the creature,--the property of darkness; whence proceed folly, ignorance, worldly delusion, the blindness of lust, anger, pride &c.
tamōguṇa (तमोगुण).—m The 3rd of the 3 qualities inci- dent to the creature, –the property of darkness, whence proceed folly, ignorance &c.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण).—see तमस् (tamas) above (4).
Derivable forms: tamoguṇaḥ (तमोगुणः).
Tamoguṇa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms tamas and guṇa (गुण).
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण).—m.
(-ṇaḥ) The quality of darkness or ignorance. E. tamas, and guṇa property.
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण):—[=tamo-guṇa] [from tamo > tam] m. the quality of darkness or ignorance (See tamas), [Horace H. Wilson]
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण):—[tamo-guṇa] (ṇaḥ) 1. m. Quality of darkness or ignorance.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण) [Also spelled tamogun]:—(nm) one of the three qualities (viz. [satoguṇa, rajoguṇa, tamoguṇa]) incidental to creation or the state of humanity, the quality of darkness or ignorance.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Tamōguṇa (ತಮೋಗುಣ):—[noun] a class of qualities as offensiveness, aggressiveness, meanness, greed, lust, moral impurity, etc., as one of the three main
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Tamoguṇa (तमोगुण):—n. Philos. the lowest of the three material qualities; typified by ignorance; darkness; and inertia;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Guna, Bodhidharma, Tamas.
Starts with: Tamogunapriya, Tamogunapriya.
Full-text (+23): Tamogun, Tamoguni, Sattvaguna, Tamogunapriya, Tamas, Late night sleeping, Chronic sleep loss, Tamasika, Tamsik, Tritiyaprakriti, Guna, Kosha, Tamasa, Dhvanta, Sadness, Lethargy, Lakshmi, Bhiru, Adharma, Atinidra.
Relevant text
Search found 80 books and stories containing Tamoguna, Tamas gunas, Tamas-guna, Tamas-guṇa, Tamo gunas, Tamo-guna, Tamo-guṇa, Tamōguṇa, Tamoguṇa; (plurals include: Tamogunas, Tamas gunases, gunas, guṇas, Tamo gunases, Tamōguṇas, Tamoguṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Samkhya elements in the Bhagavata-purana (by Jumli Nath)
Part 3.3 - The effects of Tamas-guṇa < [Chapter 3b - Puruṣa, Prakṛti and Guṇa in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa]
Part 3.2 - The effects of Rajas-guṇa < [Chapter 3b - Puruṣa, Prakṛti and Guṇa in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa]
Part 3.1 - The concept of Guṇa in Sāṃkhya philosophy < [Chapter 3a - Puruṣa, Prakṛti and Guṇa in the Sāṃkhya philosophy]
AYU (Journal of Research in Ayurveda)
Relationship between Vedic personality traits (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas) with life satisfaction and perceived stress in healthy university students: A cross-sectional study < [Volume 42 (1); 2021 (Jan-Mar)]
Understanding personality from Ayurvedic perspective for psychological assessment: A case < [Volume 32 (1); 2011 (Jan-Mar)]
Evaluation of Insomrid Tablet and Shirodhara in the management of Anidra (Insomnia) < [Volume 31 (1); 2010 (Jan-Mar)]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Concept of triguna and its utility in defining different personalities < [2020: Volume 9, December issue 15]
Management of dhat syndrome by ayurvedic therapeutics -a single case study < [2022: Volume 11, December issue 16]
Review on the concept of nidra < [2020: Volume 9, March issue 3]
International Research Journal of Ayurveda and Yoga
Concept of Madataya (Alcoholism): “An Ayurvedic Review” < [Vol. 5 No. 8: Aug (2022)]
Role Of Nidra In Relieving Mental Health < [Vol. 7 No. 11: Nov (2024)]
Criminal behavior – Ayurvedic perspective < [Vol. 4 No. 12: nov (2021)]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences
Ayurvedic concept of Manas (mind) in perception of knowledge < [Vol. 8 No. 11 (2023)]
Study of Nidra w.s.r. to Bhutadhatri Nidra < [Vol. 8 No. 11 (2023)]
Concept of Nidra - A Review Article < [Vol. 9 No. 11 (2024)]
Jnaneshwari (Bhavartha Dipika) (by Ramchandra Keshav Bhagwat)
Verse 14.3 < [Chapter 14 - Gunatraya-vibhaga-yoga]
Verse 14.9-10 < [Chapter 14 - Gunatraya-vibhaga-yoga]
Verse 17.3 < [Chapter 17 - Shraddha-traya-vibhaga-yoga]
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