Chapter 18, Verse 36 (Bhagavad Gita 18.36)
Chapter 18: Mokṣha Sanyās Yog – Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender
Sanskrit Shloka
सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ।अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति
Transliteration
sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ śhṛiṇu me bharatarṣhabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ cha nigachchhati yat tad agre viṣham iva pariṇāme ‘mṛitopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam
Word Meanings
sukham—happiness; tu—but; idānīm—now; tri-vidham—of three kinds; śhṛiṇu—hear; me—from me; bharata-ṛiṣhabha—Arjun, the best of the Bharatas; abhyāsāt—by practice; ramate—rejoices; yatra—in which; duḥkha-antam—end of all suffering; cha—and; nigachchhati—reaches yat—which; tat—that; agre—at first; viṣham iva—like poison; pariṇāme—in the end; amṛita-upamam—like nectar; tat—that; sukham—happiness; sāttvikam—in the mode of goodness; proktam—is said to be; ātma-buddhi—situated in self-knowledge; prasāda-jam—generated by the pure intellect
Translation
Now, O Arjuna, hear from Me regarding the three types of happiness in which one finds delight through practice, and by which one surely arrives at the end of all suffering.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound verse, Bhagwan Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, invites Arjuna to understand the nature of happiness that governs the soul’s journey. Shri Krishna reveals that true liberation is not merely a cessation of misery, but a transformation of the heart's delight through dedicated spiritual practice. By guiding the seeker toward the highest form of happiness, the Lord illuminates the path that transcends the transient joys of the material world. As the eternal source of all bliss, Shri Krishna promises that those who immerse themselves in this divine discipline will inevitably reach the ultimate state where all duality and suffering vanish. This is the Lord’s compassionate call to every soul to seek the everlasting joy that resides within Him.