Who does not want pleasures? All of humanity’s pursuits seem to be aimed at achieving the pleasures of life. Earn money even after much work and suffering to be able to buy objects of pleasure. He wants to achieve power even at the cost of his life, since power gives him tremendous pleasure. He seeks respect to please his mind. You eat rich foods for pleasure knowing full well that these are harmful to your body. He seeks pleasure in alcohol, cigarettes and drugs knowing very well the harmful effects on his body and soul.
However, the life of most people is full of pleasure. All pleasures seem to be temporary and are soon followed by endless pain and suffering. We try to eliminate these pains and sufferings by seeking pleasure again, which brings more pain and misery not only during the pursuit of pleasure but even after achieving it.
Therefore, it is important to understand the true nature of the pleasures so that one is not disappointed.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagawat Gita described three types of pleasure based on the three types of man’s nature. These are the following
1. The pleasure of darkness
The most common type of pleasure has been called the pleasure of the dark. It is more common as darkness that seems to exist everywhere in the universe except for a small portion where “light” can penetrate the darkness and illuminate objects. Darkness is natural while light is artificial. Every light source has to end one day, which has to be followed by darkness. Darkness is considered equal to the Ignorance that prevails around as darkness until the light of knowledge removes the darkness of ignorance. Men love darkness and indulge in ignorance as clearly stated in Gita
The pleasure of darkness arises from sleep, laziness, and mindless action. It leads to the corruption of the soul both at the beginning and at the end. (Gita 18:39)
Many people find the pleasure of sleep and laziness irresistible. If they work, it’s only because they need to earn to maintain their body. It is the most natural pleasure as it comes without any effort and cost. Such pleasure has another manifestation as other people’s criticism often to pass the time. People can criticize anyone and everyone for getting this pleasure. However, a seeker of pleasure in the dark soon loses the ability to see light and wisdom. He cannot see anything just like a blind man cannot see anything and cannot distinguish between ugliness and beauty, right and wrong or good and evil. His soul loses connection with God and meditates on this world like a blind man.
2. Pleasure of the senses
The second type of pleasures that have been described in the Gita is the pleasure of the senses, which is called the Rajsik type, since these are the most frequent among kings. It is described in the following words.
Such pleasure arises from the contact of the senses with their objects. It seems at first like nectar but at the end like poison (Gita: 18-38)
This is the most common type of pleasure that is present in all animals. Man is no different from any other animal in his desire to enjoy sensual pleasure. The pleasure of sex, tasty food and drink, the life of comfort is common to all animals. However, all animals stop at some point to enjoy their sensual pleasure. However, man knows no end to sensual pleasure and the desire for it seems to perpetually increase as the desire of the kind who cannot feel satisfied even after ruling millions of people and amassing the wealth that can satisfy the needs of millions of people. .
However, all that pleasure brings miseries in the end. All the physical diseases of modern man have their origin in the enjoyment of these sensual pleasures. The main reason behind all crimes, including murder, rape, and robbery, is the pursuit of men to satisfy their sensual pleasures. That is why sensual pleasures seem like nectar at first but end up as poison.
3. The pleasure of the truth
True pleasure is extremely deceptive as it doesn’t seem like pleasure at all. It comes in the form of pain as Lord Krishna says
Pleasure that is enjoyed with repeated practice and that puts an end to pain, which at the beginning seems like poison but in the end is like nectar, born from the serene understanding of the true nature of the Being (soul). (Gita 18:36-37)
Such pleasure can be compared to a medicine that is always bitter and never sweet. However, it ends the person’s misery by curing the food. Just as no medicine has ever been made that can be sweet and pleasing to the senses, no true pleasure can be pleasurable at first.
All human beings are used to such pleasures. It is painful for a child to study and learn from books. However, after years of practice, many people begin to enjoy reading so much that they can spend hours or even days reading books. The same is true for all types of physical training. All workouts are painful at first. They are painful for the body and mind. However, just by exercising, people can enjoy a healthy body and a healthy mind. A man who has learned to enjoy such pleasures gains permanent relief from pain, as all those pains help him invoke the true human being in himself.
The pleasure of Truth is also called “happiness” as it is long lasting compared to normal pleasures which are transient and temporary. The joy of harvesting the bread is a pleasure that is the only thing that can be called happiness. Everyone knows the happiness of achievement that comes only after years of perspiration and hard work. it is said in the bible
No discipline seems pleasant at the moment, but painful. Later, however, she produces a harvest of justice and peace for those who have been trained by her. (Hebrews 12:11).
comparing pleasures
Every human being is capable of enjoying all three types of pleasure as the three natures of men, i.e. “Satvik” (Truth Nature), “Rajsik” (Passion Nature) and “Tamsik” (Nature of darkness) are always present in them. . Therefore, any search for one always fails, as human beings cannot eliminate two other natures despite their best effort.
Pleasure of the senses is a natural thing for men, since all animals are naturally inclined to indulge in sensual pleasures. However, the nature of ignorance and truth are typical only for men. No animal seeks the truth and therefore takes no pleasure in ignorance. It is not bad to enjoy sleep and laziness, which are natural requirements of the body and mind after long hours of hard work. Likewise, criticizing others is often beneficial, as we only learn how critical what we don’t like or what other people don’t like is so that we can avoid doing such actions in our own life. Sleep alone can put an end to the restlessness of the mind and soul. However, if a man gets too used to such ignorance, he begins to see the truth itself as something bad, since he wishes to avoid the pains of truth by not facing it. Such an attempt gradually corrupts his soul.
The nature of truth always guides man on the right path. However, the path of truth is full of pain. He just imagines that he has developed the ability to know the truth, which means that he can read each person’s thoughts like a book. It’s easy to visualize that such power is likely to bring more pain than pleasure, as you can know even the evil thoughts of other men that otherwise remain hidden. We may find that most people think negatively about us just as we think negatively against most people.
Thus, the knowledge of the truth has its own pain that can only be removed by ignorance. That is why most of the illiterate and ignorant people are saved from many diseases and problems, while the cultured and civilized people try to forget things with the consumption of alcohol and drugs. Therefore, one has to learn to balance their pleasure in truth and ignorance.
In the same way, any attempt to remove sensual pleasure from life makes life empty of all passion and love for life. One has only to take care of the excess of pleasure and not the moderate pleasures of the senses that can elevate the mind and soul.
balance of pleasures
It is difficult to call one type of pleasure superior to another since all three types of pleasures are complementary to each other. People suffer when their search is limited to a single type of pleasure while ignoring the others as unnecessary or even evil. It is only in the balance of all three kinds of pleasure that one can hope to achieve lasting happiness and bliss in life.
