महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-205, verse-21

संमोहकं तमो विद्यात्कृष्णमज्ञानसंभवम् ।
प्रीतिदुःखनिबद्धांश्च समस्तांस्त्रीनथो गुणान् ।
सत्त्वस्य रजसश्चैव तमसश्च निबोध तान् ॥२१॥

21. saṁmohakaṁ tamo vidyātkṛṣṇamajñānasaṁbhavam ,
prītiduḥkhanibaddhāṁśca samastāṁstrīnatho guṇān ,
sattvasya rajasaścaiva tamasaśca nibodha tān.

21. saṃmohakam tamaḥ vidyāt kṛṣṇam
ajñānasaṃbhavam prītidukhhanibaddhān ca
samastān trīn atho guṇān sattvasya
rajasas ca eva tamasas ca nibodha tān

21. tamaḥ saṃmohakam kṛṣṇam ajñānasaṃbhavam
vidyāt atho samastān
prītidukhhanibaddhān ca trīn guṇān sattvasya
rajasas ca eva tamasas ca tān nibodha

21. One should know darkness (tamas) as bewildering, dark, and born of ignorance. Moreover, understand these three qualities (guṇas)—sattva, rajas, and tamas—as they are entirely bound by pleasure and pain.

Words meanings summery:

• संमोहकम् (saṁmohakam) - causing confusion (referring to tamas) (bewildering, deluding, causing confusion)

• तमः (tamaḥ) - darkness, ignorance, the quality of inertia (tamas)

• विद्यात् (vidyāt) - one should know, one should understand, may know

• कृष्णम् (kṛṣṇam) - dark (referring to tamas) (black, dark, dark-colored)

• अज्ञानसंभवम् (ajñānasaṁbhavam) - born of ignorance, arising from ignorance

• प्रीतिदुख्हनिबद्धान् (prītidukhhanibaddhān) - bound by pleasure and pain

• च (ca) - and, also

• समस्तान् (samastān) - all, entire, whole, collective

• त्रीन् (trīn) - three

• अथो (atho) - now, then, moreover, therefore

• गुणान् (guṇān) - qualities, attributes, constituents of prakṛti (guṇas)

• सत्त्वस्य (sattvasya) - of sattva, of the quality of goodness/purity

• रजसस् (rajasas) - of rajas, of the quality of passion/activity

• च (ca) - and, also

• एव (eva) - indeed, only, just, certainly

• तमसस् (tamasas) - of tamas, of the quality of darkness/inertia

• च (ca) - and, also

• निबोध (nibodha) - understand, know, perceive

• तान् (tān) - (referring to the qualities) (them)

Words meanings and morphology

संमोहकम् (saṁmohakam) - causing confusion (referring to tamas) (bewildering, deluding, causing confusion)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of saṃmohaka

saṁmohaka - bewildering, deluding, causing confusion

Derived from root 'muh' (to be bewildered) with prefix 'sam' and agentive suffix '-aka'.

Prefix: sam

Root: muh (class 4)

तमः (tamaḥ) - darkness, ignorance, the quality of inertia (tamas)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tamas

tamas - darkness, ignorance, gloom; the quality of inertia or dullness (tamas)

विद्यात् (vidyāt) - one should know, one should understand, may know

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, optative (vidhiliṅ) of vid

Root: vid (class 2)

कृष्णम् (kṛṣṇam) - dark (referring to tamas) (black, dark, dark-colored)

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of kṛṣṇa

kṛṣṇa - black, dark, dark-colored; a proper name (Krishna)

अज्ञानसंभवम् (ajñānasaṁbhavam) - born of ignorance, arising from ignorance

(adjective)

Nominative, neuter, singular of ajñānasaṃbhava

ajñānasaṁbhava - born of ignorance, arising from ignorance

Compound type : tatpurusha (ajñāna+saṃbhava)

• ajñāna – ignorance, nescience
  noun (neuter)
  Compound of 'a' (negation) and 'jñāna' (knowledge).
• saṃbhava – born of, arising from, origin, production
  adjective (masculine)
  From root 'bhū' (to be, exist) with prefix 'sam'.
  Prefix: sam
  Root: bhū (class 1)

प्रीतिदुख्हनिबद्धान् (prītidukhhanibaddhān) - bound by pleasure and pain

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of prītidukhhanibaddha

prītidukhhanibaddha - bound by pleasure and pain

Compound type : tatpurusha (prīti+duḥkha+nibaddha)

• prīti – pleasure, joy, love, affection
  noun (feminine)
• duḥkha – pain, sorrow, suffering, misery
  noun (neuter)
• nibaddha – bound, tied, fastened, constrained
  adjective (masculine)
  Past Passive Participle
  Past Passive Participle of root 'bandh' (to bind) with prefix 'ni'.
  Prefix: ni
  Root: bandh (class 9)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

समस्तान् (samastān) - all, entire, whole, collective

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of samasta

samasta - all, entire, whole, collective

त्रीन् (trīn) - three

(numeral adjective)

अथो (atho) - now, then, moreover, therefore

(indeclinable)

Combination of 'atha' and 'u' (atha + u = atho).

गुणान् (guṇān) - qualities, attributes, constituents of prakṛti (guṇas)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of guṇa

guṇa - quality, attribute, property; a constituent of prakṛti (sattva, rajas, tamas)

सत्त्वस्य (sattvasya) - of sattva, of the quality of goodness/purity

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of sattva

sattva - goodness, purity, essence, reality; the quality of purity and knowledge (sattva)

रजसस् (rajasas) - of rajas, of the quality of passion/activity

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of rajas

rajas - passion, energy, activity, emotion; the quality of passion and activity (rajas)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

एव (eva) - indeed, only, just, certainly

(indeclinable)

तमसस् (tamasas) - of tamas, of the quality of darkness/inertia

(noun)

Genitive, neuter, singular of tamas

tamas - darkness, ignorance, gloom; the quality of inertia or dullness (tamas)

च (ca) - and, also

(indeclinable)

निबोध (nibodha) - understand, know, perceive

(verb)

2nd person , singular, active, imperative (loṭ) of budh

Prefix: ni

Root: budh (class 1)

तान् (tān) - (referring to the qualities) (them)

(pronoun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of tad

tad - that, those