यत् तद् अग्रे विषम् इव परिणामे ऽमृतोपमम् । तत् सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तम् आत्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥
yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam | tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam ātmabuddhi-prasādajam ||
Sāttvic sukha: poison-like at first, nectar-like at the end — born of the clarity of Self-knowing intellect.
Word by word (3)
- yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam
- — that which (yat tad) at first/at the beginning (agre = at the front/beginning) is like poison (viṣam iva), but at the end/in the outcome (pariṇāme = at the completion/transformation) is like nectar (amṛtopamam = amṛta + upama = nectar-compared-to) — the temporal arc of sāttvic happiness: difficult at first, beautiful at the end
- tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam ātmabuddhi-prasādajam
- — that (tat) happiness (sukham) is declared/proclaimed (proktam) sāttvic (sāttvikaṃ), born of/arisen from (jam = born, from jan = to be born) the clarity/tranquility (prasāda = serenity, grace, clarity) of the self-knowing intellect (ātma-buddhi = self + buddhi = buddhi turned toward the ātman) — the source of sāttvic happiness: ātma-buddhi-prasāda
- ātmabuddhi-prasādajam
- — born of the prasāda (clarity/grace/serenity) of ātma-buddhi (the intellect oriented toward the Self/ātman); prasāda = the specific quality of clarity and peace that arises when the buddhi is purified and turned toward its source (ātman); this is not intellectual happiness but the joy that arises naturally when the inner instrument is clean and self-oriented; the happiness is a by-product of ātma-jñāna (Self-knowledge)
That happiness which is like poison at first but like nectar at the end — that is declared sāttvic, born of the clarity of the self-knowing intellect.
A modern analogy
Sāttvic happiness is like learning a musical instrument or a new language: initially frustrating and difficult (viṣam iva agre), but with practice (abhyāsa) it becomes an inexhaustible source of joy (amṛtopamam). Compare to rājasic happiness (V38): the first bite of junk food is delicious (amṛtopamam agre) but it leaves a bad aftertaste and craving (viṣam iva pariṇāme).
V37 gives sāttvic sukha with the memorable viṣam-amṛta (poison-nectar) contrast. The key is the temporal reversal relative to rājasic happiness: sāttvic = difficult start → joyful end; rājasic = pleasant start → painful end. The source of sāttvic happiness — ātmabuddhi-prasādajam — is philosophically precise: it arises from prasāda (grace/clarity) of ātma-buddhi (intellect oriented toward the ātman). This is not intellectual satisfaction but the natural joy of the purified mind resting in its own source.
Ātmabuddhi-prasādajam (born of Self-intellect's clarity) identifies sāttvic happiness as jñāna-joy — the happiness that comes from ātma-jñāna. This is the Gita's highest category of happiness: not sensory, not merit-based, not relationship-based, but arising from the intellect's own clarity when turned toward the Self. Prasāda (clarity/grace) is a key term in Vedānta: it is the condition of the buddhi when it is sattva-dominant, free from rajas and tamas, transparent to the light of the ātman.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
MISSING from index. [1]
That which is like poison at first, but like nectar at the end; that happiness is declared to be Sattvika, born of the translucence of intellect due to Self-realisation. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
That which resembles poison first but resembles nectar in the end, that happiness born of the serenity produced by a knowledge of self, is said to be of the quality of goodness. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Who measures others' joy and pain by the standard of their own — seeing the same everywhere — is the supreme yogi.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!
Instrument, offering, fire, act, destination — all Brahman. One absorbed in Brahman-action reaches Brahman alone.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Not hating, friendly, compassionate, without 'mine' or 'I', equal in pain and joy, forgiving — the dear devotee!