Chapter 5, Verse 22 (Bhagavad Gita 5.22)
Chapter 5: Karm Sanyās Yog – Path of Renunciation
Sanskrit Shloka
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते। आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः
Transliteration
ye hi sansparśha-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te ādyantavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣhu ramate budhaḥ
Word Meanings
ye—which; hi—verily; sansparśha-jāḥ—born of contact with the sense objects; bhogāḥ—pleasures; duḥkha—misery; yonayaḥ—source of; eva—verily; te—they are; ādya-antavantaḥ—having beginning and end; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; na—never; teṣhu—in those; ramate—takes delight; budhaḥ—the wise
Translation
The pleasures derived from contact between the senses and their objects are indeed the sources of sorrow, for they have a beginning and an end; the wise do not find joy in them, O son of Kunti.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse addresses the fundamental trap of sensory gratification, which is inherently transitory and cyclical. Because every sensory pleasure is bound by time, its arrival inevitably carries the seed of its departure, creating a vacuum that leads to craving and anxiety. The wisdom taught here is not about becoming unfeeling, but about achieving emotional detachment from external triggers. By realizing that fleeting pleasures are merely precursors to pain, a practitioner shifts their focus from external dependence to inner self-sufficiency. This internal transformation allows one to experience lasting contentment that does not wither when circumstances change.