तमस्

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *támHas, from Proto-Indo-European *témHos (“darkness”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬙𐬆𐬨𐬀𐬵 (təmah), Persian تم (tam, “cataract”), Lithuanian tamsà (“darkness”), Latin tenebra (“darkness”).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /tɐ́.mɐs/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ɐ.mɐs̪/

तमस् • (támas) stem, n

1. darkness, gloom (also in plural)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.14.4:

     अ॒ग्निर्जा॒तो अ॑रोचत॒ घ्नन्दस्यू॒ञ्ज्योति॑षा॒ तमः॑ ।
     अवि॑न्द॒द्गा अ॒पः स्वः॑ ॥

     agnírjātó arocata ghnándásyūñjyótiṣā támaḥ.
     ávindadgā́ apáḥ svàḥ.

     Agni shone bright when born, with light killing the Dasyus and the darkness:
     He found the Kine, the Waters, the Sun.

2. the darkness of hell, hell or a particular division of hell
3. the obscuration of the sun or moon in eclipses, attributed to Rahu
4. mental darkness, ignorance, illusion, error
5. tamas, one of the three qualities or constituents of everything in creation (the cause of heaviness, ignorance, illusion, lust, anger, pride, sorrow, dullness, and stolidity)
6. sin
7. sorrow

• तमस्वत् (támasvat)
• तमिस्र (támisra), तमिस्रा (támisrā)

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀢𑀫 (tama)
  • Marathi: तंव (tauva)
• Pali: tamo

• → English: tamas