Bhagavad Gita on happiness: 7 verses on lasting joy
For keeping a good mood from slipping, and finding the joy that stays. Read one a day, or all seven now.
- 7 verses
- Gita, then the Yoga Vasishtha
- About 14 min to read
- Sanskrit, English, audio
The Gita has a clear view of happiness. Some joy starts sweet and turns bitter (18.38). Some starts hard and ends like nectar (18.37). These verses begin with the person who is happy from within (5.24), tell the two kinds of joy apart, show where the lasting kind lives (5.21, 2.65), and end with two practices: choosing the harder joy and keeping a gentle mind (17.16). The last is from the Yoga Vasishtha, a crow who lived through the ages and stayed happy.
The seven verses
- Verse 1See itLit from withinGita 5.24
- Verse 2What's underneathWhy some joy soursGita 18.38
- Verse 3SteadyA joy that doesn't run outGita 5.21
- Verse 4SteadyClear mind, light heartGita 2.65
- Verse 5DoChoose the joy that starts hardGita 18.37
- Verse 6DoPractise a gentle mindGita 17.16
- Verse 7A storyThe crow who outlived the agesYoga Vasishtha
Lit from within
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ॥
Happy within, at ease within, lit from within: that person finds lasting freedom.
Bhagavad Gita 5.24 · Krishna
Full translation
One who finds happiness within, delights within, and has inner light alone, becomes one with the supreme reality and reaches freedom in the supreme reality.
जो मनुष्य केवल परमात्मामें सुखवाला है और केवल परमात्मामें रमण करनेवाला है तथा जो केवल परमात्मामें ज्ञानवाला है, वह ब्रह्ममें अपनी स्थितिका अनुभव करनेवाला सांख्ययोगी निर्वाण ब्रह्मको प्राप्त होता है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna describes someone whose happiness, pleasure and light are all inside: antaḥ-sukhaḥ, antar-ārāmaḥ, antar-jyotiḥ. Good days still come from outside. This joy doesn't depend on them.
Try this
Sit for a minute with your eyes closed, and notice anything in you that feels good right now.
Why some joy sours
परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥
Some pleasure tastes like nectar at first and poison in the end. Know which kind you're choosing.
Bhagavad Gita 18.38 · Krishna
Full translation
The pleasure that begins like nectar from contact between the senses and their objects, but ends like poison, is called rajasic pleasure.
जो सुख इन्द्रियों और विषयोंके संयोगसे आरम्भमें अमृतकी तरह और परिणाममें विषकी तरह होता है, वह सुख राजस कहा गया है ॥
What it means for you
The extra drink, the late-night scroll, the impulse buy. Krishna calls this rājasa pleasure: nectar at first, poison later. Knowing which kind you're reaching for is half the work.
Try this
Catch one 'nectar first' pleasure today before you reach for it.
A joy that doesn't run out
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥
Unhooked from outside pleasures, you find a joy within that doesn't run out.
Bhagavad Gita 5.21 · Krishna
Full translation
One who is not attached to outer contacts finds the joy within the true self. Unified with the supreme reality, that person enjoys unending happiness.
बाह्यस्पर्शमें आसक्तिरहित अन्तःकरणवाला साधक आत्मामें जो सुख है, उसको प्राप्त होता है । फिर वह ब्रह्ममें अभिन्नभावसे स्थित मनुष्य अक्षय सुखका अनुभव करता है ॥
What it means for you
Outside pleasures end when the thing ends. Krishna points to a joy inside, akṣayam, one that doesn't run out. It grows the more your happiness rests on yourself.
Try this
Spend fifteen minutes on something that needs nothing bought or scrolled.
Clear mind, light heart
प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बुद्धिः पर्यवतिष्ठते ॥
When the mind clears, sorrows start to dissolve, and understanding settles quickly.
Bhagavad Gita 2.65 · Krishna
Full translation
In inner clarity, all suffering falls away. For one whose mind is clear, understanding settles quickly.
वशीभूत अन्तःकरणवाला कर्मयोगी साधक रागद्वेषसे रहित अपने वशमें की हुई इन्द्रियोंके द्वारा विषयोंका सेवन करता हुआ अन्तःकरणकी निर्मलता को प्राप्त हो जाता है । निर्मलता प्राप्त होनेपर साधकके सम्पूर्ण दुःखोंका नाश हो जाता है और ऐसे शुद्ध चित्तवाले साधककी बुद्धि निःसन्देह बहुत जल्दी परमात्मामें स्थिर हो जाती है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna's word is prasāda, clarity or serenity. When the mind clears, sorrow loosens its hold on its own. A lot of lasting joy is a quieter mind.
Try this
Clear one small mess today, a drawer or an inbox, and notice how your mind feels after.
Choose the joy that starts hard
तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥
Some joy tastes like poison at first and like nectar in the end. That joy is worth it.
Bhagavad Gita 18.37 · Krishna
Full translation
That happiness is called sattvic, which seems like poison at first and like nectar in the end, born from clarity of the discerning mind and the peace of inner understanding.
हे भरतवंशियोंमें श्रेष्ठ अर्जुन अब तीन प्रकारके सुखको भी तुम मेरेसे सुनो । जिसमें अभ्याससे रमण होता है और जिससे दुःखोंका अन्त हो जाता है, ऐसा वह परमात्मविषयक बुद्धिकी प्रसन्नतासे पैदा होनेवाला जो सुख सांसारिक आसक्तिके कारण आरम्भमें विषकी तरह और परिणाममें अमृतकी तरह होता है, वह सुख सात्त्विक कहा गया है ॥
What it means for you
Exercise, practice, an honest conversation, a habit you're building. Krishna calls this sāttvika happiness: bitter at the start, nectar at the end. That joy lasts.
Try this
Do one thing today that's hard at first and good in the end.
Practise a gentle mind
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ॥
A calm mind, gentleness, quiet, self-restraint and a clean heart: that is discipline of mind.
Bhagavad Gita 17.16 · Krishna
Full translation
Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-control, and purity of feeling are called mental austerity.
मनकी प्रसन्नता, सौम्य भाव, मननशीलता, मनका निग्रह और भावोंकी शुद्धि इस तरह यह मनसम्बन्धी तप कहा जाता है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna calls these the austerity of the mind: serenity, gentleness, silence, self-control, a clean heart. Practised daily, they keep a good mood from slipping away.
Try this
Keep ten minutes of silence today, phone away.
The crow who outlived the ages
सर्वस्य प्रियमित्रं च तेन जीवाम्यनामयः ॥
I'm glad when others are glad and sad when they're sad. Being everyone's friend keeps me well.
Yoga Vasishtha, Nirvana Prakarana
Bhushunda
The sage Vasishtha travelled to a wish-fulfilling tree on Mount Meru to meet Bhushunda, a crow who had watched whole ages of the world come and go and was still happy. Asked his secret, Bhushunda listed his habits. He didn't brood on the past or the future. He didn't fret about what he'd get next. Learning never made him proud. And he was glad when others were glad, and sad when they were sad.
A long, glad life comes from staying present, wanting little and staying kind.
What it means for you
Bhushunda's last habit is the easiest to start: share in other people's joy. It doubles yours.
Try this
Celebrate someone else's good news today, out loud.
That's all seven.
Come back to the one that stayed with you. Or let Wisdom pick seven verses for your own situation, with the Sanskrit read aloud.
Common questions
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about happiness?
18.36 to 18.39 describe three kinds. Sāttvika happiness is like poison at first and nectar in the end (18.37). Rājasa happiness is nectar at first and poison in the end (18.38). Tāmasa happiness comes from sleep, laziness and confusion. Krishna also describes joy that comes from within (5.21, 5.24).
What is sattvic happiness?
In 18.37, the happiness that feels like poison at first and nectar in the end, born from a clear and settled mind. Think of the joy of a practice you've kept up.
Which Gita verse is about inner joy?
5.24: one whose happiness is within, whose delight is within and whose light is within reaches freedom.
Should I read one verse a day or all seven at once?
Either works. All seven take about 14 minutes. One a day gives each verse time to settle, and the page remembers where you stopped.
