Bhagavad Gita 18.36-39

Sanskrit

सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं शृणु मे भरतर्षभ । अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति ॥18.36॥यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् । तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥18.37॥विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् । परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥18.38॥यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः । निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥18.39॥

Transliteration

sukhaṃ tvidānīṃ trividhaṃ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha | abhyāsādramate yatra duḥkhāntaṃ ca nigacchati ‖18.36‖ yattadagre viṣamiva pariṇāme'mṛtopamam | tatsukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktamātmabuddhiprasādajam ‖18.37‖ viṣayendriyasaṃyogādyattadagre'mṛtopamam | pariṇāme viṣamiva tatsukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ‖18.38‖ yadagre cānubandhe ca sukhaṃ mohanamātmanaḥ | nidrālasyapramādotthaṃ tattāmasamudāhṛtam ‖18.39‖

Meaning

“And now hear from Me, O best of Bharatas, the threefold happiness in which one rejoices by practice and reaches the end of pain. That which is like poison at first but like nectar in the end, born of the serene clarity of self-understanding, that happiness is declared sattvic. That which arises from the contact of senses with objects, like nectar at first but like poison in the end, that happiness is held to be rajasic. That happiness which deludes the self both at the beginning and in its result, arising from sleep, sloth, and negligence, that is declared tamasic.”

Theme: Liberation through Renunciation

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18: Moksha Sanyasa Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

Read the full Bhagavad Gita

Teachmysoul gives you all 700 Gita verses with Sanskrit, plain-English meaning, a key learning and a practical application for daily life, a calm two-minute habit on web, iOS and Android.