विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद् यत् तद् अग्रे ऽमृतोपमम् । परिणामे विषम् इव तत् सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥
viṣayendriya-saṃyogād yat tad agre 'mṛtopamam | pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||
Rājasic sukha: arises from sense-object contact — nectar-like at first, poison-like at the end.
Word by word (3)
- viṣayendriya-saṃyogād yat tad agre 'mṛtopamam
- — that which (yat tad) arising from/due to (āt = from) the union/contact (saṃyoga = conjunction, meeting) of sense-objects (viṣaya) and sense-organs (indriya), at the beginning/first (agre) is like nectar (amṛtopamam) — rājasic happiness = sensory pleasure; initially pleasant
- pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam
- — in the outcome/at the end (pariṇāme) is like poison (viṣam iva), that (tat) happiness (sukham) is remembered/held (smṛtam = held in memory/tradition) as rājasic (rājasam) — the temporal inversion of V37: nectar-first, poison-at-end
- viṣaya-indriya-saṃyoga
- — conjunction of sense-objects (viṣaya) with sense-organs (indriya); the mechanism of sensory pleasure; this saṃyoga is the entire domain of rājasic happiness — pleasure FROM sensory contact; contrast with V37's ātmabuddhi-prasādajam which needs no external object; rājasic happiness is always object-dependent, hence subject to the arising and passing of objects
That happiness arising from the contact of sense-organs with objects, which is like nectar at first but like poison at the end — that is declared rājasic.
A modern analogy
Rājasic happiness is the opposite temporal arc from sāttvic: the first bite of cake is delicious (amṛtopamam agre), but eating too much leads to illness; the first relationship flush is euphoric, but craving, jealousy, and loss follow. The pattern is consistent: sensory pleasures peak immediately and then require escalation, lead to craving, or end in grief when the object is lost.
V38 gives rājasic sukha as the precise inverse of V37's sāttvic sukha: the viṣam-amṛta sequence is reversed (nectar-first, poison-at-end vs. V37's poison-first, nectar-at-end). The mechanism is viṣaya-indriya-saṃyoga (sense-object contact) — all rājasic happiness is object-dependent, hence impermanent. When the object is present: nectar. When the object is absent, diminished, or when the novelty wears off: poison (craving, withdrawal, grief). The entire rājasic pleasure-pain cycle is encoded here.
Viṣaya-indriya-saṃyoga (sense-object contact) as the sole mechanism of rājasic happiness points to why rajas produces bondage (bandha): happiness tied to external objects creates the saṃskāras (impressions) that drive the cycle of birth and rebirth. The soul chases the sense-objects (viṣaya) life after life. This is the Gita's practical explanation for what drives saṃsāra at the experiential level: the initial nectar-quality of sensory experience that brings the soul back again and again despite the eventual poison-quality of its conclusion.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
That pleasure which arises from the contact of the sense-organ with the object, at first like nectar, in the end like poison, that is declared to be Rajasic. [1]
That which arises from the contact of object with sense, at first like nectar, but at the end like poison, that happiness is declared to be Rajasika. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
That which is from the contact of the senses with their objects which resembles nectar first but is like poison in the end, that happiness is held to be of the quality of passion. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Brahman-become, serene, neither grieving nor desiring, equal to all beings — he attains supreme bhakti to Me.
Thinking → clinging → craving → anger. The chain of suffering begins in where you let your mind dwell.
Yoga is the disconnection from suffering — practise it with firm resolve and a mind that does not despond.
Sky-touching, blazing, many-hued, mouth wide open, eyes aflame — seeing You, O Viṣṇu, I find no courage and no peace!
Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the body, consciousness, courage — all this with its modifications is the kṣetra!
Ever-content, ever-yoked, self-controlled, firm in resolve, mind-intellect offered to Me — he is My dear devotee!