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Chapter 18 · Verse 38 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 18.38

contemplative Attachment & Letting Go Jnana & Wisdom

Sanskrit

विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम्।परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम्।।18.38।।

Transliteration

viṣhayendriya-sanyogād yat tad agre ’mṛitopamam pariṇāme viṣham iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛitam

Word by Word

viṣhaya with the sense objects
indriya the senses
sanyogāt from the contact
yat which
tat that
agre at first
amṛita-upamam like nectar
pariṇāme at the end
viṣham iva like poison
tat that
sukham happiness
rājasam in the mode of passion
smṛitam is said to be
Simplified Perspective

Krishna reveals the nature of rajasic happiness—pleasure that masquerades as nectar in the moment of contact with the senses, yet reveals itself as poison in the aftermath. This is the deceptive sweetness of passion: excitement that burns itself out, leaving exhaustion and craving.

When you notice yourself chasing a pleasure that promises fulfillment but delivers only emptiness and the hunger for more, you are tasting rajasic happiness. The invitation is to see through this mirage before it consumes your vital force, and to turn instead toward the steady, nourishing joy that comes from aligned action and inner truth.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 18.38 — BG 18.38

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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