Bhagavad-gītā 18.37
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम्।तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम्।।18.37।।
yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam tat sukhaṁ sāttvikaṁ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam
That which is like poison at first, but like nectar at the end; that happiness is declared to be Sâttvika, born of the translucence of intellect due to Self-realisation.
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 |
|---|---|
| yat | that which |
| tat | that |
| agre | in the beginning |
| viṣam iva | like poison |
| pariṇāme | at the end |
| amṛta | nectar |
| upamam | compared to |
| tat | that |
| sukham | happiness |
| sāttvikam | in the mode of goodness |
| proktam | is said |
| ātma | self |
| buddhi | intelligence |
| prasāda-jam | satisfactory. |
Keep the verse in view while connecting yat (that which), tat (that), and prasāda-jam (satisfactory). 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 18.37.
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
That which is like poison at first
- 2
like nectar at the end
- 3
that happiness is declared to be Sâttvika, born of the translucence of intellect due to Self-realisation
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.37, 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 18.37 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 18.37 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 18.37 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.37, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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