Chapter 18 · Verse 38 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 18.38
Sanskrit
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम्।परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम्।।18.38।।
Transliteration
viṣhayendriya-sanyogād yat tad agre ’mṛitopamam pariṇāme viṣham iva tat sukhaṁ rājasaṁ smṛitam
In plain words
You know the feeling—that thing you reach for that promises to fix everything, to make you whole, to bring them back, to ease the ache. It feels like relief in the moment. Krishna says: what tastes like honey now will taste like poison later, and chasing it will only drain you more. The real peace you're looking for isn't in the next drink, the next text, the next desperate fix—it's in stopping the chase itself.
Word by Word
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
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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