यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः | निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ||
yad agre cānubandhe ca sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ nidrālasya-pramādotthaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛtam
Translation
That happiness which deludes the Self from beginning to end, arising from sleep, sloth, and negligence — that is declared to be tamasic.
Interpretation
Tamasic happiness: the 'pleasure' that deludes from start to finish — neither the initial nectar of rajasic pleasure nor the ultimate nectar of sattvic joy. Tamasic happiness is the numbing comfort of excessive sleep, the relief of not having to try (laziness), and the bliss of inattention (pramada — negligence, intoxication, being lost in a fog). Scrolling mindlessly, numbing with substances, avoiding all challenge and responsibility — these are tamasic pleasures. They don't feel good so much as they provide relief from feeling. They solve nothing and only deepen the darkness.