सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ।अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति।।18.36।।
यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम्।तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्।।18.37।।
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम्।परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम्।।18.38।।
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः।निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्।।18.39।।
Now hear from Me, O scion of the Bharata dynasty, as regards the three kinds of joy: That in which one delights due to habit, and certainly attains the cessation of sorrows; [S. and S.S. take the second line of this verse along with the next verse referring to sattvika happiness.-Tr.]
That which is like poison in the beginning, but is likened to nectar in the end, and which arises from the purity of one’s intellect—that joy is spoken of as born of sattva.
That joy is referred to as born of rajas, which, arising from the contact of the organs and their objects, is like nectar in the beginning but like poison in the end.
That joy is said to be born of tamas, which, both in the beginning and in the end, is delusive to oneself and arises from sleep, laziness, and inadvertence.
Osho’s Commentary
And now, the three kinds of happiness. Sattvic happiness is that which is like poison in the beginning, but like nectar in the end. All spiritual discipline seems difficult at first. Meditation seems arduous. But if you persist, it leads to a bliss that is eternal. This is the happiness born of the clarity of your own soul. Rajasic happiness is that which is like nectar in the beginning, but like poison in the end. This is the happiness of the senses. It is sweet at first, but it always leaves a bitter aftertaste of attachment, of craving, of pain. And tamasic happiness is that which is delusive from beginning to end. It arises from sleep, from laziness, from unconsciousness. It is not happiness at all; it is just a state of stupor, a forgetting of one’s misery. You are always seeking happiness, my friend. But look carefully. Are you seeking the nectar that turns to poison, or are you ready to drink the poison that turns to nectar? The choice is yours.