Chapter 5: Karma-yoga-Action in Kåñëa Consciousness
Bg 5.22
TEXT 22
ye hi samsparsa-ja bhoga
duhkha-yonaya eva te
ady-antavantah kaunteya
na tesu ramate budhah
duhkha-yonaya eva te
ady-antavantah kaunteya
na tesu ramate budhah
SYNONYMS
ye—those; hi—certainly; saàsparçajäù—by contact with the material senses; bhogäù—enjoyment; duùkha—distress; yonayaù—sources of; eva—certainly; te—they are; ädi—in the beginning; antavantaù—subject to; kaunteya—O son of Kunté; na—never; teñu—in those; ramate—take delight; budhaù—the intelligent.
TRANSLATION
An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunté, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
PURPORT
Material sense pleasures are due to the contact of the material senses, which are all temporary because the body itself is temporary. A liberated soul is not interested in anything which is temporary. Knowing well the joys of transcendental pleasures, how can a liberated soul agree to enjoy false pleasure? In the Padma Puräëa it is said:
ramante yogino 'nante satyänanda-cid-ätmani
iti räma-padenäsau paraà brahmäbhidhéyate
iti räma-padenäsau paraà brahmäbhidhéyate
"The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Räma."
In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam also it is said:
näyaà deho deha-bhäjäà nå-loke
kañöän kämän arhate viò-bhajäà ye
tapo divyaà putrakä yena sattvaà
çuddhyed yasmäd brahma-saukhyaà tv anantam.
kañöän kämän arhate viò-bhajäà ye
tapo divyaà putrakä yena sattvaà
çuddhyed yasmäd brahma-saukhyaà tv anantam.
"My dear sons, there is no reason to labor very hard for sense pleasure while in this human form of life; such pleasures are available to the stool-eaters [hogs]. Rather, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and, as a result, you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss." (Bhäg. 5.5.1)
Therefore, those who are true yogés or learned transcendentalists are not attracted by sense pleasures, which are the causes of continuous material existence. The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.
Join the Bhagavad-Gita Connect Newsletter
Copyright (c) 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada