Shloka
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् |
परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ||१८-३८||Transliteration
viṣayendriyasaṃyogādyattadagre.amṛtopamam .
pariṇāme viṣamiva tatsukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||18-38||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
18.38. [The happiness] which is like nectar at its time due to the contact between the senses and sense-objects; but which is like poison at the time of its result-that is considered to be of the Rajas (Strand).
Shri Purohit Swami
18.38 That which as first is like nectar, because the senses revel in their objects, but in the end acts like poison - that pleasure arises from Passion.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
18.38 See Comment under 18.39
Sri Ramanuja
18.38 That which at the ‘beginning,’ i.e., at the time of experience looks like elixir because of the contact of senses with their objects agreable to them, but ‘at the end,’ i.e., when satiation or further incapacity to enjoy due to over-indulgence in them occurs, looks life poison - that pleasure is said to be Rajasika. In this latter state these so-called enjoyments cause the misery of Naraka.
Sri Shankaracharya
18.38 Tat, that; sukham, joy; is smrtam, referred to; as rajasam, born of rajas; yat, which; visaya-indriya-samyogat, arising from the contact of the organs and (their) objects; is amrtopamam, like nectar; agre, in the beginning, in the intial moments; but iva, like; visam, poison; pariname, at the end-at the end of full enjoyment of the objects (of the senses), because it causes loss of strength, vigour, beauty, wisdom, [Prajna, the capacity to understand whatever is heard.] retentive faculty, wealth and diligence, and because it is the cause of vice and its conseent hell etc.
Swami Adidevananda
18.38 That pleasure which arises from the contact of senses with their objects, which is like elixir at first but like poison in the end, is said to be Rajasika.
Swami Gambirananda
18.38 That joy is referred to as born of rajas which, arising from the contact of the organs and (their) objects, is like nectar in the beginning, but like poison at the end.
Swami Sivananda
18.38 That happiness which arises from the contact of the sense-organs with the objects, which is at first like nectar, and in the end like poison that is declared to be Rajasic.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
18.38 विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगात् from the contact of the senseorgans with the objects? यत् which? तत् that? अग्रे at first? अमृतोपमम् like nectar? परिणामे in the end? विषम् poison? इव like? तत् that? सुखम् pleasure? राजसम् Rajasic? स्मृतम् is declared.Commentary Sensual pleasure is mixed with pain? fear and sin. A small grain of sensual pleasure is mixed with a mountain of pain. He who indulges in sensual pleasures will have to experience pain also? side by side. He is afraid of losing the objects that give him pleasure. He is attached to them. Attachment is death. It brings him again and again to this world of death. Fear and attachment coexist with sensual pleasure. He has to exert a lot to get money. He can obtain the objects through money. During exertion he commits many sinful acts and he will have to suffer in hell. The next birth will be of a very low nature. He tells lies and cheats people to obtain money. The senses also lose their vigour through indulgence in sensual pleasure. He loses his strength? vigour? wealth and energy. His intellect becomes dull? weak? impure? turbid and perverted. He loses his money and proper understanding. (Cf.V.22)