Water buffalo, who spends most of its time soaking in mud, is a good example for this category. There is a lot of inertia, little interest in any activity, no ambition, dull and sleepy all the time. All of us are Tāmasic when we are born, spending all the time sleeping, eating, and excreting.
People with this tendency are ignorant of spiritual knowledge or higher values. This is described as total darkness (ignorance) in the mind. They arrive at wrong decisions in life because of this ignorance ( avidyā) and disorganized thinking. Tāmasic Vrutti (ताम सक वृ ) is the tendency of a person with predominantly Tamas (तमस) which includes laziness, carelessness, fear, hostility towards all, and uncaring attitude. It also includes criminal thoughts of breaking laws or rules and violent actions. The color for Tamas (तमस) is black.