Three Pleasures
Sattwic happiness: starts out as poison and ends as nectar and is born of the blissful knowledge of the Soul.
Rajasic happiness: arises from sensory contact and starts like nectar but ends as poison.
Tamasic happiness: begins and ends in self-delusion, owing to ex- cessive sleep, lethargy, and false perception.
There is a saying, ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Beware of one who offers you ‘easy money.’ There is no free ride. There is no free lunch. Anything worth having is worth earning. People run after big, easy, fast money; after fame and praise and often end up in a poisoned situation.
When the eyes see lustful things or the taste buds taste overly rich, sweet foods and beverages, though these start as pleasure, they end in poison, that is, in damage, disrepair, and illness.
However, when one’s own awareness realizes, if I make some modi- fications now, things will be better later, this is sattwa. For example, knowing your Ayurvedic dosha (constitution), and eating foods that balance that dosha such as fresh, organic, whole foods might not unduly excite the taste buds (though it will be tasty and wholesome). In time, however, digestion improves and the body has more energy and fewer health problems. And the mind is more at peace. This is a form of sattwic pleasure.
Another example is earning money: One can overcharge a person and get an initial larger sum of money. But if the customer has been hurt by paying so much money, they will look elsewhere for a fair deal; somewhere along the line the seller will suffer. On the other hand, if fair fees are set by the seller (and they earn what they need to survive) and the buyer pays what is reasonable for them to continue to survive, there is a natural interdependency, and life becomes more harmonious. Initial self-sacrifice yields sattwic pleasure.
If a student wants to do well in school, they must sacrifice parties for study; and in the end achieve their higher pleasure. If an athlete wishes to win at their sport, they must sacrifice hours, days, and years of their life to excel. If a person wishes to feel love, they must give their love away. In short, the more a person sacrifices or gives away worldly (material) things and knowledge and emotions, the more space they have to receive spiritual gifts in return.
All humans, creatures, and all heavenly beings are under the sway of the gunas. Only God, the unchanging source of the gunas, can free one from their influence. [Verse 29–40]
