BhG 2.14

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata

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syntax


he kaunteya (O son of Kuntī!), he bhārata (O descendant of Bhārata!),
mātrā-sparśāḥ tu (but material sensations) śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (which give [feelings of] cold and heat, pleasure and distress) [bhavanti] (they are).
[te] (these) āgamāpāyinaḥ (which are coming and going),
[ataḥ eva] (therefore indeed) anityāḥ (impermanent) [bhavanti] (they are).
[ataḥ] (hence) tān (them) titikṣasva (tolerate patiently).

 

grammar

mātrā-sparśāḥ mātrā-sparśa 1n.3 m.; TP: mātrāṇāṁ sparśā itimaterial sensations (from: – to measure, mātrā – measure, size, matter, substance; spṛś – to touch, sparśa – touch, sensation; mīyante / jñāyante viṣayā ābhir iti mātrāḥindriya-vṛttayaḥ [by them] from all sides the things are measured / learned about therefore they are named objects – fields of activities for the senses);
tu av.but, then, or, and;
kaunteya kaunteya 8n.1 m.O son of Kuntī (from: kunti – the people of Kunti, kuntī – Kuntī, mother of the sons of Pāṇḍu);
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ śīta-uṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-da 1n.3 m.; TP/DV: ye sītaṁ ca uṣṇaṁ ca sukhaṁ ca duḥkhaṁ ca dadhati tethese which give [feelings of] cold and heat, pleasure and distress (from: śīta – cold, frigid; uṣ – to burn, uṣṇa – hot, warm; su – prefix: good, excellent, beautiful, virtuous; kha – cavity, hole, nave; su-kha – joy, happiness; dur / dus – prefix: difficult, bad, hard; duḥ-kha – pain, difficulty; literally: good or bad hole in the nave [of a wheel through which an axis runs] that makes the moving smooth or not; or from: su-sthā and duḥ-sthā; – to give, da – suffix meaning giver);
āgamāpāyinaḥ āgama-apāyin 1n.3 m.; yeṣām āgamaś ca apāyaś ca stas tethese which are coming and going (from: ā-gam – to come, āgama – arrival; apa-i – to go away; apāya – departure, apāyin – going away, departing);
anityāḥ a-nitya 1n.3 m.impermanent (from: nitya – continual, eternal);
tān tat sn. 2n.3 m.them;
titikṣasva tij (to sharpen, to tolerate) Imperat. des. Ā 2v.1you must desire to be firm, endevour to endure, tolerate patiently;
bhārata bhārata 8n.1 m.O descendant of Bhārata;

 
 



Śāṃkara

The key:
an excerpt from the commented verse
quotes from the scriptures
starting polemic

Endurance is a condition of wisdom.
Now Arjuna might argue as follows: It is true that when one knows the Self to be eternal there is no room for the distressful delusion that the Self will die. But quite common among people, as we see, is the distressful delusion that the Self is subject to heat and cold, pleasure and pain, as also to grief due to the loss of pleasure or to the suffering of pain. As against the foregoing, the Lord says:

yady apy ātma-vināśa-nimitto moho na saṃbhavati nitya ātmā iti vijānataḥ, tathāpi śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-prāpti-nimitto moho laukiko dṛśyate, sukha-viyoga-nimitto moho duḥkha-saṃyoga-nimitta ca śokaḥ | ity etad arjunasya vacanam āśaṅkaya bhagavān āha

The sense-contacts it is, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain; they come and go, they are impermanent. Them endure bravely, O descendant of Bharata.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkhadāḥ |
āgamāpāyino’nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata ||2.14||

The senses are those of hearing and the like, by which sound and other things are perceived. It is the contacts of the senses with their objects such as sound –

mātrā ābhiḥ mīyante śabdādaya iti śrotrādīni indriyāṇi | mātrāṇāṃ sparśāḥ śabdādibhiḥ saṃyogāḥ | te śītoṣṇasukha-duḥkha-dāḥ śītam uṣṇaṃ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ ca prayacchantīti |

or, according to another interpretation, it is the senses and the contacts – i. e., the sense-objects, such as sound, which are contacted by the senses, – which produce heat and cold, pleasure and pain.

athavā spṛśyanta iti sparśā viṣayāḥ śabdādayaḥ | mātrāś ca sparśāś ca śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ |

Cold is pleasant at one time and painful at another. So also heat is of an inconstant nature. But pleasure and pain are constant in their respective natures as pleasure and pain. Wherefore heat and cold are mentioned separately from pleasure and pain.

śītaṃ kadācit sukhaṃ kadācit duḥkham | tathā uṣṇam api aniyata-svarūpam | sukha-duḥkhe punaḥ niyata-rūpe yato na vyabhicarataḥ | atas tābhyāṃ pṛthak śītoṣṇayoḥ grahaṇam |

Because these sense-contacts, etc., have, by nature, a beginning and an end, therefore they are not permanent. Wherefore do thou bravely endure them, heat and cold &c.; i. e., give not thyself up to joy or grief on their account.

yasmāt te mātrā-sparśādayaḥ āgamāpāyinaḥ āgamāpāyaśīlāḥ tasmāt anityāḥ | ataḥ tān śītoṣṇādīn titikṣasva prasahasva | teṣu harṣaṃ viṣādaṃ vā mā kārṣīḥ ity arthaḥ ||2.14||

 

Rāmānuja

imam artham anantaram eva āha mātrā-śparśās tv iti | śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa-gandhāḥ sāśrayāḥ tan-mātrā-kāryatvāt mātrā iti ucyante | śrotrādibhis teṣāṃ sparśāḥ śītoṣṇa-mṛdu-paruṣādi-rūpa-sukha-duḥkhadā bhavanti | śītoṣṇa-śabdaḥ pradarśanārthaḥ | tān dhairyeṇa yāvad-yuddhādi-śāstrīya-karma-samāpti titikṣasva | te cāgamāpāyitvād dharyavatāṃ kṣantuṃ yogyāḥ | anityāś caite bandha-hetu-bhūta-karma-nāśe sati, āgamāpāyitvenāpi nivartanta ity arthaḥ

 

Śrīdhara

nanu tān ahaṃ na śocāmi, kintu tad-viyogādi-duḥkha-bhājaṃ mām eveti cet tatrāha mātrā-sparśā iti | mīyante jāyante viṣayā ābhir iti mātrā indriya-vṛttayaḥ, tāsāṃ sparśā viṣayeṣu sambaddhāḥ, te śītoṣṇādi-pradā bhavanti | te tu āgamāpāyitvād anityā asthirāḥ | atas tān titikṣasva sahasva | yathā jalātapādi-saṃsargās tat-tat-kāla-kṛtāḥ svabhāvataḥ śītoṣṇādi prayacchanti evam iṣṭa-saṃyoga-viyogā api sukha-duḥkhāni prayacchanti, teṣāṃ cāsthiratvāt sahanaṃ tava dhīrasyocitaṃ na tu tan-nimitta-harṣa-viṣāda-pāravaśyam ity arthaḥ

 

Madhusūdana

commentary under the verse BhG 2.18

 

Viśvanātha

nanu satyam eva tattvam | tad apy avivekino mama mana evānarthakāni vṛtahiva śoka-moha-vyāptaṃ duḥkhayatīti | tatra na kevalam ekaṃ mana evāpi tu manaso vṛttayo ‚pi sarvās tv agādīndriya-rūpāḥ sva-viṣayān anubhāvyānarthakāriṇya ity āha mātrā indriya-grāhya-viṣayās teṣāṃ sparśā anubhavāḥ | śītoṣṇety āgamāpāyina iti yad eva śītala-jalādikam uṣṇa-kāle sukhadam | tad eva śīta-kāle duḥkhadam ato ‚niyatatvād āgamāpāyitvāc ca tān viṣayānubhavān titikṣasva sahasva | teṣāṃ sahanam eva śāstra-vihito dharmaḥ | nahi māghe māsi jalasya duḥkhatva-buddhyaiva śāstre vihitaḥ snāna-rūpo dharmas tyajyate | dharma eva kāle sarvānartha-nivartako bhavati | evam eva ye putra-bhrātrādyotpatti-kāle dhanādy-upārjana-kāle ca sukhadās ta eva mṛtyu-kāle duḥkhadā āgamāpāyino ‚nityās tān api titikṣasva | na tu tad-anurodhena yuddha-rūpaḥ śāstra-vihitaḥ sva-dharmas tyājyo vihita-dharmānācaraṇaṃ khalu kāle mahānarthakṛd eveti bhāvaḥ

 

Baladeva

nanu bhīṣmādayo mṛtāḥ kathaṃ bhaviṣyantīti tad-duḥkha-nimittaḥ śoko mābhūt | tad-viccheda-duḥkha-nimittas tu me mana-prabhṛtīni pradahantīti cet tatrāha mātreti | mātrās tv agādīndriya-vṛttayaḥ mīyante paricchidyante viṣayā abhir iti vyutpatteḥ | sparśās tābhir viṣayāṇām anubhavānte khalu śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkhadā bhavanti | yad eva śītalam udakaṃ grīṣme sukhadaṃ tad eva hemante duḥkhadam ity ato ‚niyatatvād āgamāpāyitvāc cānityān asthirāṃs tān titikṣasva sahasva | etad uktaṃ bhavati māgha-snānaṃ duḥkha-karam api dharmatayā vidhānād yathā kriyate tathā bhīṣmādibhiḥ saha yuddhaṃ duḥkha-karam api tathā vidhānāt kāryam eva | tatratyo duḥkhānubhavas tv āgantuko dharma-siddhatvāt soḍhavyaḥ | dharmāj jñānodayena mokṣa-lābhe tūttaratra tasya nānuvṛttiś ca jñāna-niṣṭhā paripākaṃ vinaiva dharma-tyāgas tv anartha-hetur iti | kaunteya bhārateti padābhyām ubhaya-kula-śuddhasya te dharma-bhraṃśo nocita iti sūcyate

 
 



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