Shloka 37
पञ्चवर्णोत्पत्तिः — The Origin of the Five-Colored Fiery Being and Ritual-Disruptor Lineages
अजसमेव दु:खार्तो5दु:ःखित: सुखसंज्ञित: । ततो<निवृत्तबन्धत्वात् कर्मणामुदयादपि
ajasam eva duḥkhārto 'duḥkhitaḥ sukhasaṃjñitaḥ | tato 'nivṛttabandhatvāt karmaṇām udayād api ||
“A person, though truly afflicted by sorrow, comes to be regarded (and even regards himself) as ‘not sorrowful’ and as ‘happy’—because he has not withdrawn from attachment. Indeed, even when the fruits of actions arise, bondage persists so long as attachment remains.”
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Suffering and happiness are often labels sustained by attachment. As long as one does not withdraw from attachment, one remains bound—even when actions ‘bear fruit’; liberation requires turning back from clinging, not merely changing external circumstances.
The hunter (Vyādha), instructing on dharma, explains the psychology of bondage: people may appear or claim to be happy despite real distress, because attachment continues; he uses this to emphasize renunciation of attachment as the ethical-spiritual remedy.