Shloka 4
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय २५: संजयदूतवाक्यम्
Sañjaya’s Envoy-Speech on Peace
धर्मोदयं सुखमाशंसमाना: कृच्छोपायं तत्त्वतः कर्म दुःखम् । सुखं प्रेप्सुर्विजिघांसु श्न दुःखं य इन्द्रियाणां प्रीतिरसानुगामी
sañjaya uvāca | dharmodayaṃ sukham āśaṃsamānāḥ kṛcchopāyaṃ tattvataḥ karma duḥkham | sukhaṃ prepsur vijighāṃsuś ca duḥkhaṃ ya indriyāṇāṃ prītirasānugāmī ||
Sañjaya said: Those who long for the happiness that arises from dharma recognize in truth that action pursued through harsh and difficult means becomes suffering. The person who follows the pleasing tastes of the senses acts with the aim of gaining pleasure and destroying pain; yet, in reality, all such action turns into pain, for it is achieved only by distressing methods.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Happiness grounded in dharma is distinct from pleasure pursued through the senses. When one chases sense-tastes, actions are driven by craving for pleasure and aversion to pain, but such actions end up producing suffering because their means are inherently burdensome and morally unstable.
Sañjaya is reflecting on the motives behind human action: some aspire to dharma-born happiness, while others pursue sensory enjoyment. He highlights that the latter, though aimed at pleasure and the removal of pain, results in further suffering due to the difficult and troubling means required.