Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

Let us look at intelligence in the mode of ignorance:

Bg 18.32

adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā
manyate tamasāvṛtā
sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca
buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī

Synonyms: 

adharmam — irreligion; dharmam — religion; iti — thus; yā — which; manyate — thinks; tamasā — by illusion; āvṛtā — covered; sarva–arthān — all things; viparītān — in the wrong direction; ca — also; buddhiḥ — intelligence; sā — that; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; tāmasī — in the mode of ignorance.

Translation: 

That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Pārtha, is in the mode of ignorance.

adharmaṁ dharmam iti yā, so to consider Adharma to be dharma,
manyate tamasāvṛtā, tamasāvṛtā, one who is covered by ignorance, āvṛtā means covered. Such a person is sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca, such a person goes to things opposite to actually they are, viparita means opposite. That means such a person consider Dharma to be Adharma and considers Adharma to be Dharma, sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca, common example is the way people see God to be an ordinary person and ordinary person to be God. This is buddhiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī, tamasi Buddhi. Sometimes people having tamasik Buddhi need not be tamasik lifestyle, sometimes people may be having tamasik life style of drinking, eating non-veg but they may have some characteristic which may be in goodness, like some people may have intellectual brilliance, e.g. a researcher may be a chain smoker, how to understand this, one aspect of the person may be influenced by one mode however another aspect of the person may not be influenced by the same mode, so if a person doesn’t want one mode to influence other aspect of the person they can practice spiritual life seriously so that they can come to goodness and then transcendence. 

So we don’t have to whitewash people their good qualities has to be appreciated.

It doesn’t mean that of someone is a devotee they are free from the modes, we have to free ourselves from modes by doing devotion. We will become freed by steady practice. 

18.32: sarvarthanviparitams

To be in ignorance is bad eg. Not knowing God exists

To be in ignorance and to claim to be in knowledge is worse e.g. We have proven that matter is all that exists, or consciousness comes from matter. This is not proven but to claim that…

To be in ignorance and to claim to be in knowledge and to claim that knowledge is ignorance is worst e.g. religion is the opium of the masses; God is a psychological crutch for the weak-minded

E.g. Vena, Ravana –pious to go to hell, sinful to go to heaven

King is representative of God and not God Himself (in case of Vena) and his duty is to remind us about God. In case of Vena when Brahmana has cursed they know the ultimate welfare of the king and how to correct him. When one has proper understanding even from ignorance one can go to transcendence, but if one doesn’t have proper understanding then sarvārthān viparītāṁś ca, one will go downward from the position one is situated and ultimately it will lead to destruction.

End of transcription.