यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च ।
न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ॥ १८.३५ ॥

yayā svapnam bhayam śokam viṣādam madam-eva ca |
na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛti: sā pārtha tāmasī || 18.35 ||

Tāmasika will

Krishna now goes on to the tāmasika will and its functional notes:

The will, led by which, one – making himself a misguided fool – does not eschew dream, fear, grief, despondency, pride and infatuation, is called tāmasika dhṛti.

The will governed by tamas is not only retrogressive, but harmful, dangerous and wasteful in character. It seeks to indulge in dreams. It clings to false delights, overwhelmed by diverse scenes. That the whole dream is illusory and wasteful is neither cared for, nor understood by the mind steeped in tamas.

Instead of seeking benign, elevating emotions, the tāmasika will takes to fear, grief, despondency, pride and infatuation. However much cautioned and persuaded, it does not tend to eschew them. It makes one a misguided fool. But even this tāmasika will, the worst of the three, has a place in the complex human mind. To identify it properly and strive to discard its effects is the primary duty of the seeker, the discriminating soul.