Shloka 36

Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

नास्ति रागसमं दुःखं नास्ति त्यागसमं सुखम्‌

Transliteration

nāsti rāgasamaṃ duḥkhaṃ nāsti tyāgasamaṃ sukham

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “There is no sorrow equal to attachment; there is no happiness equal to renunciation.” In the ethical instruction of the Śānti teachings, he presents craving and clinging as the deepest source of suffering, and letting-go as the surest ground of peace and well-being.

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रागसमम्: equal to passion/attachment
• रागसमम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राग-सम
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• दुःखम्: sorrow/suffering
• दुःखम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• त्यागसमम्: equal to renunciation
• त्यागसमम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्याग-सम
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सुखम्: happiness/pleasure
• सुखम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Attachment (rāga)—the mind’s clinging to people, pleasures, outcomes, and possessions—produces the greatest suffering because it breeds fear of loss, frustration, jealousy, and bondage to desire. Renunciation (tyāga)—releasing possessiveness and fixation—yields the greatest happiness because it brings inner freedom, contentment, and steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, after the war, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the means to peace of mind and righteous living. This verse occurs within that didactic setting, summarizing a key moral-psychological insight: suffering is rooted in attachment, while peace arises from letting go.