Bhagavad-gītā 18.36
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सुखं त्विदानीं त्रिविधं श्रृणु मे भरतर्षभ।अभ्यासाद्रमते यत्र दुःखान्तं च निगच्छति।।18.36।।
sukhaṁ tv idānīṁ tri-vidhaṁ śhṛiṇu me bharatarṣhabha abhyāsād ramate yatra duḥkhāntaṁ cha nigachchhati yat tad agre viṣham iva pariṇāme ‘mṛitopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam
And now hear from Me, O bull of the Bhâratas, of the threefold happiness. That happiness which one learns to enjoy by habit, and by which one comes to the end of pain;
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| sukham | happiness |
| tu | but |
| idānīm | now |
| tri-vidham | of three kinds |
| śhṛiṇu | hear |
| me | from me |
| bharata-ṛiṣhabha | Arjun, the best of the Bharatas |
| abhyāsāt | by practice |
| ramate | rejoices |
| yatra | in which |
| duḥkha-antam | end of all suffering |
| cha | and |
| nigachchhati | reaches yat:which |
| tat | that |
| agre | at first |
| viṣham iva | like poison |
| pariṇāme | in the end |
| amṛita-upamam | like nectar |
| tat | that |
| sukham | happiness |
| sāttvikam | in the mode of goodness |
| proktam | is said to be |
| ātma-buddhi | situated in self-knowledge |
| prasāda-jam | generated by the pure intellect |
Use the word map to follow the relation among sukham (happiness), nigachchhati (reaches yat:which), and prasāda-jam (generated by the pure intellect). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to freedom through discernment and surrender. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 18.36.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the great recapitulation through renunciation, action, knowledge, duty, devotion, refuge and Sañjaya’s conclusion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
And now hear from Me, O bull of the Bhâratas, of the threefold happiness
- 2
That happiness which one learns to enjoy by habit
- 3
by which one comes to the end of pain
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.36, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 18.36 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.36, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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