Bhagavad Gita — Karma Sannyasa Yoga, Shloka 22
Karma Sannyasa Yoga
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते । आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥ ५.२२ ॥
ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā duḥkha-yonaya eva te | ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ || 5.22 ||
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते । आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥
For the pleasures that arise from contact (with sense-objects) are indeed sources of sorrow; they have a beginning and an end, O son of Kuntī; the wise person does not delight in them.
Those enjoyments born of sensory contact are, in fact, wombs/sources of suffering. They are finite—having a beginning and an end, O Kaunteya; the discerning person does not take pleasure in them.
Most recensions read consistently here. Interpretive differences center on (a) saṁsparśa-jāḥ: whether ‘contact’ is bodily/sensory only or also mental contact with objects; (b) duḥkha-yonayaḥ: rendered as ‘sources,’ ‘causes,’ or metaphorically ‘wombs’ of suffering; (c) budhaḥ: translated as ‘wise,’ ‘discerning,’ or ‘enlightened,’ without implying a single technical school meaning.
FAQs
The verse frames pleasure from sensory contact as transient and prone to rebound into dissatisfaction, highlighting a cycle where craving and disappointment reinforce each other. Psychologically, it encourages observing how short-lived gratification can intensify restlessness, and it recommends cultivating discernment (viveka) rather than reflexive indulgence.
Within the Gītā’s broader soteriology, sensory pleasures belong to the changing field of experience (prakṛti and its modifications). Because they are finite (ādy-antavat), they cannot provide stable fulfillment; the ‘wise’ seek a more enduring basis for well-being, often articulated in the text as steadiness of mind and realization of the self beyond fluctuating experiences.
Chapter 5 discusses renunciation and disciplined action, emphasizing inner detachment. This verse supports the chapter’s argument by distinguishing temporary, contact-born enjoyments from the steadier happiness associated with self-mastery and equanimity, reinforcing why non-attachment is presented as practically and philosophically coherent.
Applied today, it can be read as guidance for mindful consumption: noticing which pleasures reliably lead to regret, dependency, or agitation, and choosing moderation. It also supports practices like delayed gratification and attention training, aiming for forms of satisfaction less dependent on constant external stimulation.