241. Contours of Happiness
I n our lives, we constantly experience the polarities of happiness ( sukh ) and sadness ( dukh ). Krishna explained that when senses meet sense-objects, polarities of sukh-dukh are generated (2.14). Praise brings happiness, while criticism causes sorrow, even though both are merely phenomena of words meeting the ears. Life, therefore, is a continuous interplay of senses and sense-objects, implying that polarities of sukh and dukh are an unavoidable human condition. Krishna categorizes happiness into three types, each arising from one of the three gunas (18.36). He says, “That which is like poison in the beginning and nectar in the end is declared satvik happiness. It is a virtue born from the clarity of one’s intellect” (18.37). Thus, satvik happiness is dhyan (meditation) for the mind and physical exercise for the body where we find it difficult to begin and maintain regularly yet deeply rewarding over time in form of mental peace and physical wellbeing. Krishna says...