1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 14 - Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga - Sloka 13

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 ways of the three gunas are now explained

The Symptoms of the Gunas 11-18

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 14 - Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga - Sloka 13

Aprakashah apravrittih cha pramadah mohah eva cha I

Tamasi etani jayante vivruddhe kuru nandana II sloka 13

अप्रकाशः अप्रवृत्तिः च प्रमादः मोहः एव च I 

तमसि एतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरु नन्दन II श्लोक 13

Indiscrimination, inertness, heedlessness and delusion - these arise, O joy of the kurus, when Tamas is predominant.

The literal meaning of the word aprakasa  is darkness. But the darkness of the mind lands one into indiscrimination. There is no initiative in the one lacking in indiscrimination. Lethargy overtakes such a dullard. He becomes heedless or indifferent to progress and prosperity in life. He is so much deluded that he mistakes stagnation for self - sufficiency. That man becomes depraved. These are all because of the predominance of Tamas.

Is there any connection between the ascendancy of the guna and the reincarnation of the jivatman? The answer comes in the next  sloka