Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 36
सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ।अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति।।
sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu me bharatarṣabha
abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ ca nigacchati
also searched as "sukham tvidanim trividham shrinu me bharatarshabha"
Translation
Now hear from Me, O Arjuna, the threefold division of pleasure৷৷ that in which one rejoices through long practice and in which one comes to the end of pain.
Vāṇi's rendering
Now hear of happiness, which also comes in three kinds — the joy practice ripens, that brings sorrow to its end.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सुखम्sukham | happiness, pleasure |
| तुtu | but, and now |
| इदानीम्idānīm | at this point, next |
| त्रिविधम्tri-vidham | of three kinds |
| श्रृणुśṛṇu | hear |
| मेme | from me |
| भरतर्षभbharatarṣabha | O bull among the Bharatas — Arjuna |
| अभ्यासात्abhyāsāt | through repeated practice |
| रमतेramate | one comes to delight |
| यत्रyatra | in which |
| दुःखान्तम्duḥkha-antam | the end of sorrow (duḥkha + anta joined) |
| चca | and |
| निगच्छतिnigacchati | one arrives at, reaches |
| यत्yat | which |
| तत्tat | that |
| अग्रेagre | at the outset |
| विषम्viṣam | poison |
| इवiva | like |
| परिणामेpariṇāme | in its ripening, at the end |
| अमृतोपमम्amṛta-upamam | like nectar (elided to 'mṛtopamam after pariṇāme) |
| तत्tat | that |
| सुखम्sukham | happiness |
| सात्त्विकम्sāttvikam | clear, of the nature of sattva |
| प्रोक्तम्proktam | is declared to be |
| आत्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam | born of the settled clearness of an understanding turned toward the self |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 36 mean?
Krishna announces that happiness, like everything else he has classified, comes in three kinds. He begins with the highest: the joy that practice ripens. It is not found, it is grown — and its mark is that it brings sorrow to an end rather than distracting you from it. Pleasure that only postpones pain is a different thing.
What does 'sukham tvidanim trividham shrinu me bharatarshabha' mean?
It means: now hear from me, O bull among the Bharatas, of happiness in its three kinds. Krishna calls Arjuna by a warrior's title while speaking of joy — the same steadiness that holds a bow holds a practice. Sukha is not a mood here. It is a result, and results have causes.
Why does Krishna say happiness comes in three kinds?
Because we treat all pleasure as one thing and are then surprised when some of it hollows us out. Krishna separates joy by its ripening. One kind sweetens slowly and stays. One flares and fades. One dulls from the first. Knowing which one you are reaching for changes what you reach for.
How can happiness bring an end to sorrow?
Not by covering it. Abhyāsa — steady repetition — works on the cause rather than the sensation. Sitting again, restraining again, returning again slowly loosens what generated the grief in the first place. That is why Krishna says duḥkhāntam, the end of sorrow, and not merely relief from it.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna has just finished sorting resolve; now he turns to happiness, and Arjuna does not object. Nobody expects joy to need sorting. But the word here is abhyāsa — practice. Some happiness must be repeated before it becomes pleasant at all; the first sittings are dull, the first restraints feel like loss. What arrives quickly rarely stays. What is built slowly ends something — Krishna says it reaches duḥkha's end, not merely covers it. If the thing that steadies you was easy to begin, look again. The joy that lasts usually started as work you did not enjoy.