1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 14 - Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga - Sloka 8

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Adidevananda's translation of Ramanuja's  Gita  Bhashya and Swami Chidbhavananda's Bhagavad Gita, both published by Ramakrishna Mission

The characteristics of the three gunas are now explained

The Function of the Gunas 5-10

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 14 - Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga - Sloka 8

Tamah tu gyanajam viddhi mohanam sarva dehinam I

Pramada alasya nidrabhih tan nibhadnati bharata II sloka 8

तमः तु ज्ञानजम् विद्धि मोहनम् सर्व देहिनाम् I 
प्रमाद आलस्य निद्राभिः तन् निभद्नाति भरत II श्लोक 8

But know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds fast, O Bharata, by heedlessness, indolence and sleep. 

Tamas is the inertia born of ignorance. It enshrouds the discrimination of man. While rajas despoils sattva, tamas despoils both sattva and rajas. It delivers man into heedlessness, indolence and sleep, rendering him inert. By nature it is destructive. 

All the three gunas are collectively again described in the next sloka