Bhagavad Gita 18.39 · Krishna
Numb from start to finish
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः।
निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम्॥
yadagre cānubandhe ca sukhaṃ mohanamātmanaḥnidrālasyapramādotthaṃ tattāmasamudāhṛtam
Happiness that clouds the self both at first and in the end, born of sleep, sloth and carelessness, is called heavy.
Words
- tamas
What it means
Krishna describes tamasic happiness. It clouds the mind from start to finish. It comes from oversleeping, idleness and carelessness. It isn't really joy. It's a kind of numbness, the comfort of avoiding everything. Rest is good. Hiding in sleep and distraction isn't the same thing.
The story
Krishna has seen people mistake numbness for peace. He gently separates the two for Arjuna.
In your life
Think of a whole weekend lost in bed and screens, feeling worse on Monday. Next weekend, swap one hour of that for a walk outside or time with a friend.
Numbness is not happiness.