Verse 18.39 : Moksha Sanyasa Yoga "Liberation and Renunciation"
Verse 39 of 78
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The Translation
“That happiness which both in the beginning and in the end is deluding to the soul, arising from sleep, laziness, and negligence—that is declared to be in the mode of ignorance (Tamasic).”
Commentary & Insights
Krishna describes Tamasic happiness. In Vedic ethics, this was the false comfort of sloth, negligence, and intoxication, which completely paralyzed the individual's spiritual and social growth.
Practical Application
1
When you feel the urge to escape stress by oversleeping or zoning out, choose to take a short walk instead.
Reflections & Notes
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Self-Reflection Prompts
- How does the habit of oversleeping or avoiding all tasks (laziness) mask itself as a form of 'peace' or 'happiness'? Why is this deluding?
- What is the difference between healthy physical rest (Sattvik) and Tamasic escape through sleep and lethargy?
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18.39
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः
Shankara comments that Tamasic happiness is not real joy; it is merely the absence of exertion, which deludes the soul. It keeps the person in a state of stupor and carelessness (pramada), destroying their human potential and dragging them to lower, insentient births.