adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā manyate tamasāvṛtā sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
"That intellect which, enveloped in darkness, regards adharma as dharma and sees all things in a perverted way—that, O Partha, is tamasic."
What This Means:
Tamasic intellect is completely backwards - it thinks wrong is right. Covered in darkness, it sees everything in a twisted, inverted way.
Going Deeper:
'Tamasavrrita' - enveloped in darkness, indicates the root cause. This isn't partial understanding but complete inversion. The tamasic mind genuinely believes adharma is dharma. 'Sarva-arthan viparitan' - it sees all meanings/purposes inverted. This describes moral blindness, where harmful actions are celebrated and beneficial ones condemned.
How To Apply This:
Be wary when you're certain you're right while everyone wise disagrees. Complete conviction combined with inverted values is the hallmark of tamasic intellect.
Key Sanskrit Terms: