Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, Shloka 14
Sankhya Yoga
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २.१४ ॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ | āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata || 2.14 ||
Sense-contacts, O son of Kunti, give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they come and go and are impermanent—endure them, O Bharata.
Sense-contacts, O son of Kunti, give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they come and go and are impermanent—endure them, O Bharata.
‘But contacts of the senses (with their objects), O Kaunteya, produce cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they are coming and going, impermanent—bear them, O Bhārata.’
‘Mātrā-sparśāḥ’ is interpreted either as ‘sense contacts’ or ‘contacts with measurable/limited things.’ The practical thrust is consistent: affective fluctuations are transient and should be met with forbearance (titikṣā).
FAQs
It offers a regulation strategy: recognize sensations and moods as transient events, reducing reactivity and enabling steadier decision-making.
By locating pleasure and pain in sense-contact, the verse supports the distinction between changing experiences and the deeper self that can remain steady.
It transitions from metaphysical claims (2.12–13) to practical counsel: how to live that insight through endurance and balance.
Comparable to mindfulness-based approaches: observe fluctuations (comfort/discomfort) without being governed by them, especially in stressful or morally complex situations.