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Bhagavad-gītā 5.22

ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दु:खयोनय एव ते । आद्यन्तवन्त: कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुध: ॥ २२ ॥
ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
[ye hi samsparsha-jaa bhogaa]
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
[duhkha-yonaya eva te]
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
[aady-antavantah kaunteya]
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
[na teshu ramate budhah]
Word-for-word
ye — those hi — certainly saṁsparśa - jāḥ — by contact with the material senses bhogāḥ — enjoyments duḥkha — distress yonayaḥ — sources of eva — certainly te — they are ādi — beginning anta — end vantaḥ — subject to kaunteya — O son of Kuntī na — never teṣu — in those ramate — takes delight budhaḥ — the intelligent person .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
ye
those
hi
certainly
saṁsparśa - jāḥ
by contact with the material senses
bhogāḥ
enjoyments
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
duḥkha
distress
yonayaḥ
sources of
eva
certainly
te
they are
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
ādi
beginning
anta
end
vantaḥ
subject to
kaunteya
O son of Kuntī
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
na
never
teṣu
in those
ramate
takes delight
budhaḥ
the intelligent person .
Important Words
  • saṁsparśa-jāḥ — born of contact with the material senses
    Saṁ + sparśa — 'mutual contact.' Jā — born. Pleasures born of sense-object contact. The word emphasizes mutuality: the sense and the object together generate the pleasure, and either's removal ends it.
  • duḥkha-yonayaḥ — sources of distress
    Yoni — womb, source. The pleasures are themselves the wombs of misery. The metaphor is biological: each pleasure gestates its corresponding pain. The Gītā's diagnosis is structural, not moralistic.
  • ādi-anta-vantaḥ — subject to beginning and end
    Triple compound. Beginning-end-having. The Sanskrit places all three terms in one breath, enacting how briefly the pleasure spans. Compare akṣayam in the prior verse — the explicit contrast.
  • ramate — takes delight
    From √ram — 'to take pleasure, to rest in.' The negated form: na ramate budhaḥ. The intelligent does not rest in such pleasures. He may pass through them; he does not pitch his tent in them.
  • budhaḥ — the intelligent person
    From √budh — 'to wake, to be aware.' The budha is the one awakened to the soul's true position as Kṛṣṇa's servant; his intelligence is buddhi-yoga (BG 2.39, 10.10). Such a devotee sees through the promise wrapped around sense-pleasure and refuses to pitch his tent in what begins and ends. He passes through; he does not rest there.
An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Contact-born pleasures are duḥkha-yoni — birthplaces of sorrow — because they come with built-in expiry. The budha sees the term-structure and does not pitch his joy tent in temporary ground.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Duḥkha-yoni is a striking diagnosis: today's pleasure is tomorrow's pain because the first generates the second. Ādi-antavat — having beginning and end — is the canonical Indian critique of saṁsāric enjoyments (cf. Kaṭha 2.10). The negative case (5.22) and positive case (5.21) together motivate the practice of 5.23.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे कौन्तेय! ये संस्पर्श-जाः भोगाः हि ते दुःख-योनयः एव आदि-अन्तवन्तः । बुधः तेषु न रमते ।
he kaunteya! ye saṃsparśa-jāḥ bhogāḥ hi te duḥkha-yonayaḥ eva ādi-antavantaḥ | budhaḥ teṣu na ramate |
O son of Kuntī, the enjoyments born of (sense-)contact are indeed wombs of sorrow, having beginning and end. The wise one does not delight in them.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
ये हि संस्पर्श-जाः भोगाः दुःख-योनयः एव ते । आदि-अन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥
ye hi saṃsparśa-jāḥ bhogāḥ duḥkha-yonayaḥ eva te | ādi-antavantaḥ kaunteya na teṣu ramate budhaḥ ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
ये ye rel. pron. (pronoun) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. which
हि hi ind. (indeclinable) indeed
संस्पर्श-जाः saṃsparśa-jāḥ संस्पर्श (m.) + ज (adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) born of contact
भोगाः bhogāḥ भोग (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) enjoyments
दुःख-योनयः duḥkha-yonayaḥ दुःख + योनि (f.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) wombs of sorrow
एव eva ind. (indeclinable) indeed, only
ते te dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m. they
आदि-अन्तवन्तः ādi-antavantaḥ आदि (m.) + अन्तवत् (adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)m., bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound) having beginning and end
कौन्तेय kaunteya कौन्तेय (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular) O son of Kuntī
न na ind. (indeclinable) not
तेषु teṣu dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) loc.pl. (locative plural)m. in them
रमते ramate √रम् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice) delights
बुधः budhaḥ बुध (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) the wise one
Purport

Material sense pleasures are due to the contact of the material senses, which are all temporary because the body itself is temporary. A liberated soul is not interested in anything which is temporary. Knowing well the joys of transcendental pleasures, how can a liberated soul agree to enjoy false pleasure? In the Padma Purāṇa it is said: ramante yogino ’nante satyānande cid-ātmani iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate “The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rāma.” In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also (5.5.1) it is said: nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam “My dear sons, there is no reason to labor very hard for sense pleasure while in this human form of life; such pleasures are available to the stool-eaters [hogs]. Rather, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and as a result you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss.” Therefore, those who are true yogīs or learned transcendentalists are not attracted by sense pleasures, which are the causes of continuous material existence. The more one is addicted to material pleasures, the more he is entrapped by material miseries.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
22. The enjoyments arising from sense objects are causes of suffering, and have a beginning and end. An intelligent person does not enjoy them.
Commentary

An intelligent person (budhaḥ) does not attach himself to material pleasure.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
22. The pleasures arising from sense objects are causes of suffering, and have a beginning and end. O son of Kuntī, the intelligent person does not enjoy them.
Commentary

This verse explains that, determining the temporary nature of the sense objects, which manifest according to karma, that person is not attached. The experiences of happiness generated by sense objects (saṁsārśajā bhogā) are sources of misery. The rest of the verse is clear.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study Key verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

An intelligent person does not take part in sensual pleasures because

Contact of senses with the sense objects is a source of misery
Such pleasures have a beginning and an end – They are temporary LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 5.22 & 5.23: The result of tolerating sense desires and not succumbing to their pushings is explained below
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
5.22 Hi, since; bhogah, enjoyments; ye samsparsajah, that result from contact with objects, that arise from contact between the objects and the organs; are eva, verily; duhkha-yonayah, sources of sorrow, because they are creations of ignorance. It is certainly a matter of experience that physical and other sorrows are created by that itself. By the use of the word eva (verily), it is understood that, as it happens here in this world, so does it even in the other world. Realizing that there is not the least trace of happiness in the world, one should withdraw the organs from the objects which are comparable to a mirage. Not only are they sources of sorrow, they also adi-antavantah, have a beginning and an end. Adi (beginning) of enjoyments consists in the contact between objects and senses, and their end (anta), indeed, is the loss of that contact. Hence, they have a beginning and an end, they are impermanent, being present in the intervening moment. This is the meaning. (Therefore) O son of Kunti, budhah, the wise one, the discriminating person who has realized the Reality which is the supreme Goal; na ramate, does not delight; tesu, in them, in enjoyments. For delight in objects is seen only in very foolish beings, as for instance in animals etc. This extremely painful evil, which is opposed to the path of Bliss and is the source of getting all miseries, is difficult to resist. Therefore one must make the utmost effort to avoid it. Hence the Lord says:;
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
5.22 Those pleasures which result from the contact of sense objects with the senses, are the wombs of pain, i.e., have pain as their ultimate fruit 'They have a beginning and an end,' i.e., they are seen to remain only for a brief period and the reaction that follows their cessation is painful. He who knows what they themselves are, i.e., know themselves as Atman, will not find pleasure in them.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
5.22 Ye hi etc. He considers indeed as follows : 'All enjoyments born of the external objects are in the form of causes of misery; and even otherwise , they are impermanent'.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
5.22 The enjoyments that are born of contacts are only generators of pain, for they have a beginning and an end, O Arjuna; the wise man does not rejoice in them.
Commentary

5.22 ये which? हि verily? संस्पर्शजाः contactborn? भोगाः enjoyments? दुःखयोनयः generators of pain? एव only? ते they? आद्यन्तवन्तः having beginning and end? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? न not? तेषु in those? रमते rejoices? बुधः the wise.Commentary Man goes in est of joy and searches in the external perishable objects for his happiness. He fails to get it but instead he carries a load of sorrow on his head.You should withdraw the senses from the senseobjects as there is no trace of happiness in them and fix the min on the immortal? blissful Self within. The senseobjects have a beginning and an end. Separation from the senseobjects gives you a lot of pain. During the interval between the origin and the end you experience a hollow? momentary? illusory pleasure. This fleeting pleasure is due to Avidya or ignorance. Even in the other world you will have the same experience. He who is endowed with discrimination or the knowledge of the Self will never rejoice in these sensual objects. Only ignorant persons who are passionate will rejoice in the senseobjects. (Cf.II.14?XVIII.38)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
5.22 Since enjoyments that result from contact (with objects) are verily the sources of sorrow and have a beginning and an end, (therefore) O son of Kunti, the wise one does not delight in them.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
5.22 The joys that spring from external associations bring pain; they have their beginning and their endings. The wise man does not rejoice in them.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 18.38 BG 2.14 BG 5.23 SB 7.9.45 SB 11.8.1 SB 5.5.4 CC Madhya 22.122 CC Antya 6.220 CC Madhya 19.159 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.2Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.6
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Pleasures from contact with sense-objects are the source of misery — they have a beginning and an end; the wise do not enjoy them.
Practical Applications
  • Treat sense-pleasure honestly — it has a tail, and the tail bites.
  • Notice the cycle: anticipation, brief pleasure, loss, longing again.
  • Choose pleasures that don't carry their opposite.
Reflection Questions
  • What pleasure of mine has the most painful tail?
  • What pleasure is genuinely without that tail?
Analogy

A piece of fruit that comes wrapped with the seed of its own rotting — you eat it knowing the rot is on its way. Every sense-pleasure is such a fruit. Wise consumers count the rot; foolish ones notice only the sweetness and are surprised again each time by the tail. Kṛṣṇa is teaching honest accounting.

Stories
Yayāti's youth-trade

King Yayāti, cursed with old age by his father-in-law, persuaded his son Puru to exchange ages with him. He took back his youth and returned to a thousand years of sense-enjoyment with his queens — palaces, foods, gardens, every pleasure available to a king.

At the end of the thousand years he confessed in the Mahābhārata what he had learned: pleasures never diminish desire; like ghee poured on fire, they only feed the flame. Each pleasure had a beginning and an end, and the cycle of longing started fresh. He returned the youth to his son and walked to the forest.

Ādi-anta-vantaḥ. Yayāti's thousand years were the verse's empirical proof. The intelligent man does not repeat his experiment for a thousand years to learn what Kṛṣṇa states in a single line.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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