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BG 18.37

यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम्
तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्

yat tad agre viṣam iva
pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam
tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam
ātma-buddhi-prasādajam

SYNONYMS

yat: That which | tat: that | agre: at first | viṣam-iva: like a poison | pariṇāme: in the end | amṛta-upamam: like elixir | tat 2: such | sukham: pleasure | sāttvikam: Sattvika | proktam: is said | ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam: born from the serene state of mind focusing on the self |

TRANSLATION

That which is like a poison at first but becomes like elixir in the end, born from the serene state of mind focusing on the self—such pleasure is said to be Sattvika.

PURPORT

That pleasure, which ‘at the beginning,’ i.e., at the time of beginning of Yoga, is ‘like poison,’ i.e., is painful because it requires strenuous efforts and because the distinct nature of the self is not yet experienced, but which after long practice fructifies in the blissful experience of the self—that joy born of a serene state of mind ‘focusing on the self’ is Sattvika. The Buddhi concerning the self is ‘Atama-buddhi’. When all objects are withdrawn from that Buddhi it becomes serene (Prasanna). The joy born of the experience of the self in its distinct nature, when all objects are withdrawn from the Buddhi, becomes ‘like elixir’. That joy is said to be Sattvika.