Chapter XVIII · Śloka 38
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् |
परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ||
परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ||
viṣayendriya-saṃyogād yat tad agre 'mṛtopamam |
pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||
pariṇāme viṣam iva tat sukhaṃ rājasaṃ smṛtam ||
That happiness arising from contact between the senses and their objects — which seems like nectar at first but is like poison at the end — that happiness is said to be rājasic.
The pattern of rājasic pleasure is the inverse of sāttvic: the immediate experience is vivid and gratifying, but its aftermath brings craving, depletion, or regret. Sense pleasure is not condemned here but accurately mapped: its trajectory is from sweetness to suffering.