Bhagavad Gita 18.39: meaning and translation
Chapter 18: Moksha Sannyasa Yoga. Krishna says
Krishna says that the happiness which deludes the self both at first and in the end, and which springs from sleep, laziness and carelessness, is called happiness of the nature of tamas.
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Bhagavad Gita 18.39
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः ।निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥
Yadagre chanubandhe cha sukham mohanamatmanahNidralasyapramadottham tattamasamudahritam
yadagre cānubandhe ca sukhaṃ mohanamātmanaḥ |nidrālasyapramādotthaṃ tattāmasamudāhṛtam ||
Our explanation Krishna says that the happiness which deludes the self both at first and in the end, and which springs from sleep, laziness and carelessness, is called happiness of the nature of tamas.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जो सुख आरंभ में भी और बाद में भी आत्मा को मोह में डालता है, और नींद, आलस्य और प्रमाद से उत्पन्न होता है, वह तामस कहा गया है।
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- यत् yat · which (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: yad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 2 “who, which, what, whichever, whatever, that”
- अग्रे agre · at first (noun (neuter), locative singular) Dictionary: agra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 6, col. 2 “in front, ahead of, in the beginning, first”
- च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
- अनुबन्धे anubandhe · in its result (noun (masculine), locative singular) Dictionary: anu-bandha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 36, col. 2 “sequence, consequence, result”
- च ca · and (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. ca, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 380, col. 1 “and, both, also, moreover, as well as”
- सुखम् sukham · happiness (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: sukha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1221, col. 1 “ease, easiness, comfort, prosperity, pleasure, happiness”
- मोहनम् mohanam · deluding (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: mohana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 836, col. 1 “depriving of consciousness, bewildering, confusing, perplexing, leading astray, infatuating”
- आत्मनः ātmanaḥ · of the self (noun (masculine), genitive singular) Dictionary: ātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 1 “the individual soul, self, abstract individual”
- निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थम् nidrālasyapramādottham · arising from sleep, laziness and carelessness (compound (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: ni-drā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 548, col. 2 “sleep, slumber, sleepiness, sloth”; ālasya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 153, col. 3 “idleness, sloth, want of energy”; pra-māda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 685, col. 2 “negligence, carelessness about (abl. or comp.)”; ut-tha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 179, col. 3 “standing up, rising, arising”
- तत् tat · that (pronoun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 1 “m. he, f. she, n. it, that, this”
- तामसम् tāmasam · of tamas (adjective (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: tāmasa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 442, col. 3 “appertaining to or affected by the quality tamas”
- उदाहृतम् udāhṛtam · is called (past participle (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: ud-āhṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 185, col. 3 “said, declared, illustrated; called, named, entitled”
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 126.
That happiness is described as dark, which arises from sleep, laziness, heedlessness, which deludes the self, both at first and in its consequences.
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 126.
That happiness is described as dark, which arises from sleep, laziness, heedlessness, which deludes the self, both at first and in its consequences.
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 160.
That pleasure which at first and in its results is delusive of the self, arising from sleep, indolence and heedlessness, that is declared tâmasic.
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 336.
That happiness which begins and results in self-delusion arising from sleep, indolence and miscomprehension, that is declared to be Támasic.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 126. Bhagavad Gita 18.39.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 160. Bhagavad Gita 18.39.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 336. Bhagavad Gita 18.39.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 18.39: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 25, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/39/
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Bhagavad Gita 18.39
यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः ।
निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥
“That happiness is described as dark, which arises from sleep, laziness, heedlessness, which deludes the self, both at first and in its consequences.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 126, public domain)
“That pleasure which at first and in its results is delusive of the self, arising from sleep, indolence and heedlessness, that is declared tâmasic.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 160, public domain)
“That happiness which begins and results in self-delusion arising from sleep, indolence and miscomprehension, that is declared to be Támasic.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 336, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/18/39/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 18.39?
Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 18 (Moksha Sannyasa Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.
- Updated
- October 25, 2026