Chapter XVIII · Śloka 37
यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् |
तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ||
तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ||
yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam |
tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam ||
tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam ||
That happiness which is like poison at first but like nectar in the end — born from the serenity of the self and the intellect — that happiness is called sāttvic.
Sāttvic joy demands the initial discomfort of discipline: the early practice of meditation, study, or self-control feels effortful and thankless. But what ripens from this effort is the irreversible sweetness of a life no longer at the mercy of circumstance.