18.38
Chapter 18, Verse 38
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम्। परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम्৷৷
viṣayēndriyasaṅyōgādyattadagrē.mṛtōpamam. pariṇāmē viṣamiva tatsukhaṅ rājasaṅ smṛtam৷৷
Translation
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.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
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)
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.