Shloka 7
व्याधि-गुण-साम्योपदेशः | Discourse on Affliction, Guṇa-Equilibrium, and the Inner Battle
सत्वं न दुःखी दुःखस्य न सुखी सुसुखस्य च | स्मर्तुमिच्छसि कौन्तेय किमन्यद् दुःखविशभ्रमात्
sattvaṁ na duḥkhī duḥkhasya na sukhī susukhasya ca | smartum icchasi kaunteya kim anyad duḥkha-vibhramāt ||
Vāyu said: “You do not wish to remember sorrow as one who is sorrowful, nor supreme happiness as one who is happy, O son of Kuntī. What else can this be, O Kaunteya, except a delusion born of suffering?”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vāyu points to a psychological and ethical insight: when one cannot recall either sorrow or happiness in a fitting way—without being dragged into grief or intoxicated by pleasure—it indicates a mind clouded by suffering. The remedy implied is steadiness and clarity: to remember experiences without being overpowered by them.
Vāyudeva addresses Kaunteya (Arjuna) and diagnoses his inner state. Observing Arjuna’s reluctance or inability to recollect past sorrow and joy with balance, Vāyu identifies it as ‘duḥkha-vibhrama’—a confusion produced by distress—thus offering counsel aimed at restoring composure and discernment.