Chapter 18, Verse 39 (Bhagavad Gita 18.39)
Chapter 18: Mokṣha Sanyās Yog – Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender
Sanskrit Shloka
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः।निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्
Transliteration
yad agre chānubandhe cha sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ nidrālasya-pramādotthaṁ tat tāmasam udāhṛitam
Word Meanings
yat—which; agre—from beginning; cha—and; anubandhe—to end; cha—and; sukham—happiness; mohanam—illusory; ātmanaḥ—of the self; nidrā—sleep; ālasya—indolence; pramāda—negligence; uttham—derived from; tat—that; tāmasam—in the mode of ignorance; udāhṛitam—is said to be
Translation
That happiness which both in the beginning and at the end is delusive to the self, arising from sleep, indolence, and heedlessness, is declared to be Tamasic.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound revelation, Lord Krishna cautions Arjuna against the insidious nature of Tamasic pleasure, which keeps the soul shackled to the material illusion of Maya. Bhagwan Shri Krishna explains that this state of being, born from lethargy and neglect of spiritual duty, offers no genuine nourishment to the spirit, but rather acts as a veil that obscures the eternal nature of the Atman. By identifying sleep and negligence as the roots of this deceptive joy, Yogeshwar Krishna guides the seeker to recognize that true bliss cannot be found in the absence of consciousness. He invites every soul to transcend these lower modes of nature to eventually attain liberation, reminding us that constant awareness of the Divine is the only path to lasting peace.