Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 22

Chapter 5 – Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते ।
आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥

Transliteration

ye hi saṃsparśajā bhogā duḥkhayonaya eva te .
ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ ॥

Meaning

The enjoyments born of contact are indeed sources of suffering, O son of Kunti, having a beginning and an end; the wise man does not delight in them.

Word meanings

ये – which
हि – for
संस्पर्शजाः – born of contact (of senses with objects)
भोगाः – enjoyments
दुःखयोनयः – wombs of suffering
एव – indeed
ते – they
आद्यन्तवन्तः – having a beginning and an end
कौन्तेय – O son of Kunti
न रमते – does not delight
बुधः – the wise
तेषु – in them

Anvaya (word order)

कौन्तेय, ये हि संस्पर्शजाः भोगाः, ते दुःखयोनयः एव आद्यन्तवन्तः; बुधः तेषु न रमते ।

Explanation

The previous verse praised the happiness of the Self; here the limits of sense pleasures are shown. The pleasure born of the contact of senses and objects is called ‘duhkha-yoni’ for two reasons. First, it has a beginning and an end: it comes and goes, leaving emptiness and craving as it leaves. Second, in acquiring, in protecting, and in losing it, anxiety and pain are attached in all three states.

‘Samsparsha-ja bhogah’ — born of contact. They depend on the meeting of an outer object and a sense; where there is dependence, there is subjection. A happiness that needs something else is a prisoner of that thing's availability. Therefore the ‘budha’, the discriminating one, does not delight in them.

Shankara says that sense pleasures seem pleasant at first but end in pain, hence the knower regards them as to be avoided. Ramanuja points to their insignificance compared with the happiness of Self-realisation.

This does not mean one should hate life's enjoyments. It means recognising their transience and not building the house of our peace on them.

Context

Verse 5.21 spoke of the imperishable happiness of the Self. Verse 5.22 gives the transience and painfulness of sense pleasures. In 5.23 the one who can bear the surge of desire and anger is called happy.

Life lesson

Do not rest the peace of your life on a pleasure of short duration. Respect enjoyments but do not drown in them; that is discrimination.

Key terms

Samsparshaja bhoga: pleasures born of sense-object contact
Duhkha-yoni: a source of suffering
Adyantavanta: having a beginning and an end