Bg. 2.14 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ १४ ॥

Verse text

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

Synonyms

mātrā-sparśāḥ — sensory perception ; tu — only ; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī ; śīta — winter ; uṣṇa — summer ; sukha — happiness ; duḥkha — and pain ; dāḥ — giving ; āgama — appearing ; apāyinaḥ — disappearing ; anityāḥ — nonpermanent ; tān — all of them ; titikṣasva — just try to tolerate ; bhārata — O descendant of the Bharata dynasty.

Translation

O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

14. O son of Kuntī, the experience of the sense objects gives sensations of cold and heat, happiness and distress, always temporary, appearing and disappearing. O Bhārata, tolerate these.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

14. O son of Kuntī, the experience of the sense objects gives sensations of cold and hot, happiness and distress, always temporary, appearing and disappearing. O Bhārata, tolerate these experiences of the sense objects.

Purport

In the proper discharge of duty, one has to learn to tolerate nonpermanent appearances and disappearances of happiness and distress. According to Vedic injunction, one has to take his bath early in the morning even during the month of Māgha (January-February). It is very cold at that time, but in spite of that a man who abides by the religious principles does not hesitate to take his bath. Similarly, a woman does not hesitate to cook in the kitchen in the months of May and June, the hottest part of the summer season. One has to execute his duty in spite of climatic inconveniences. Similarly, to fight is the religious principle of the kṣatriyas, and although one has to fight with some friend or relative, one should not deviate from his prescribed duty. One has to follow the prescribed rules and regulations of religious principles in order to rise up to the platform of knowledge, because by knowledge and devotion only can one liberate himself from the clutches of māyā (illusion). The two different names of address given to Arjuna are also significant. To address him as Kaunteya signifies his great blood relations from his mother’s side; and to address him as Bhārata signifies his greatness from his father’s side. From both sides he is supposed to have a great heritage. A great heritage brings responsibility in the matter of proper discharge of duties; therefore, he cannot avoid fighting.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

“Yes this is indeed true. I have shown such indiscretion. My mind, producing nonsense, uselessly covered with lamentation and bewilderment, causes me suffering.” “It is not the mind alone. The various functions of the mind, in the form of all the senses such as skin, experiencing their sense objects, produce this problem (anartha). One has the experience (sparśa) of the sense objects (mātrā). In the hot season, cold water is pleasant, and in the cold season, it is painful. This happens in an uncontrolled manner, appearing and disappearing (āgama apāyinaḥ). Therefore you must tolerate these experiences of the sense objects. Tolerating them is part of dharma prescribed in the scriptures. One should not give up the bath in the month of Māgha because it gives pain, since it is prescribed in the scriptures. Following dharma gradually rids one of all low qualities. You must tolerate that sons give joy when they are born or earn money, and give sorrow when they die, by their temporary appearance and disappearance. One should not give up one’s scripturally prescribed duty to fight by that consideration. Not performing the prescribed duty eventually brings about great problems.”

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

“Let there be no lamentation, caused by sorrow concerning Bhīṣma’s existence in the future after he dies, but I lament because of the grief caused by separation from him. Thus, my senses and mind are burning up.” Mātrā means “the functions of the senses such as skin, by which the sense objects are defined (miyante).” Thus mātrā refers to the senses. After the perceptions (sparśa) of the sense objects by the senses (mātrā), the perceptions bestow sensations of hot, cold, happiness or distress. Cold water which in the summer gives pleasure, gives pain in the winter. Tolerate these temporary experiences (anityān) since they appear and disappear (āgamāpāyinaḥ), since they are uncertain. This means that just as one performs cold bath in the month of Magha, though it is difficult, because it is the injunction, by having a sense of duty, so Arjuna should fight with Bhīṣma and others though it is difficult, because of the rules of scripture. At the present he should tolerate the incidental experience of suffering because of the accomplishment of proper dharma. From dharma comes the appearance of jṣāna, and from jṣāna arises liberation, after which there is no compliance to follow those rules. Giving up dharma without first becoming firmly established in jṣāna gives rise to obstacles. O son of Kuntī, O descendant of Bharata, [Note: This Bharata was the son of Duṣyanta and Śakunalā.] it is improper for you to abandon the performance of dharma, since you have the purity of these two great families.

Surrender Unto Me

Krsna's instructions to Arjuna about this point that he is going to be very much miserable if Bhisma and Drona change their bodies: "Yes! But you must be tolerant!"