April 27 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 5; Verses 5.22 (Day 118) Karma Yoga

April 27 – Day 118
Verse 5.22

ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते ।

आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥ ५-२२॥ 

ye hi sansparśha-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣhu ramate budhaḥ (22) 

யே ஹி ஸந்ஸ்ப¹ர்ஶஜா போ⁴கா³ து³:க²:யோனய ஏவ தே¹ |
ஆத்யன்த¹வன்த¹: கௌன்தே¹ய ந தே¹ஷு ரமதே¹ பு³த⁴: ||22|| 

22. The enjoyments that are born of contacts are generators of pain only, for they have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna! The wise do not rejoice in them. 

Commentary: Man goes in quest of joy and searches in the external perishable objects for his happiness.  He fails to get it but instead he carries a load of sorrow on his head.

You should withdraw the senses from the sense-objects as there is no trace of happiness in them and fix the mind on the immortal, blissful Self within.  The sense-objects have a beginning and an end.  Separation from the sense-objects gives you a lot of pain.  During the interval between the origin and the end you experience a hollow, momentary, illusory pleasure.  This fleeting pleasure is due to Avidya or ignorance.  Even in the other world you will have the same experience.  He who is endowed with discrimination or the knowledge of the Self will never rejoice in these sensual objects.  Only ignorant persons who are passionate will rejoice in the sense-objects.  (Cf. II. 14, XVIII. 38) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda:

This applies even to our own physical body! When there is a rash on the skin, scratching it feels pleasant, but the result is a worsening of the condition. When there is high fever the tongue likes food and drink which aggravate the misery. As cells in the body of God, this is true of us. These ‘cells’, conditioned perversely by the pleasure-seeking ego, indulge in ‘contacts’ which are harmful.

The soul, which is forever one with the supreme being, is carried away by these momentary sense-pleasures. They are not eternal. When they come they appear to be pleasant, but this is soon followed by their departure which causes unpleasantness over prolonged periods. This tragedy, however, is the direct result of the mind labelling and liking the momentary experience as ‘pleasure’, thus making it desirable and giving rise to a craving for repetition.

A careful observation will reveal that, in truth, the so-called worldly pleasures are ‘the mothers of pain’. By looking at the offspring, it is possible to know the genes of the parent. We know that in this world every indulgence in worldly ‘pleasure’ is sooner or later followed (as its offspring) by great pain. The pleasure that gave birth to this pain should, logically, have been pain only. It was; but was mistaken for pleasure.

This definition must qualify the wise man whose characteristics we studied in the foregoing verses. He is naturally not interested in worldly pleasures. Mark that Kṛṣṇa does not ask him to shun them! There is no struggle involved in this. He who is blissful in God is just not interested in worldly pleasures, in perpetuating them by thought.

Even the description of these pleasures as ‘wombs of pain’ and ‘limited by time’ is but a statement of fact and not a preventive threat! We should not forget that the yogi is tranquil, not even frightened by contact with worldly objects. 

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