Chapter 2 Verse 14

 

Verse – 14

 

मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |

आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || 14||

 

Transliteration:

mAtrAsparshAstu kauteya shItoShNasukhaduHkhadAH .

AgamApAyino.anityAstAMstitikShasva bhArata..14

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Word – by word meaning:

मात्रास्पर्शा:- contact of the senses; स्तु – indeed; कौन्तेय – son of Kunti; शीतोष्ण – cold/heat; सुख-दु:खदा: - gives happiness or sadness; आगम – Agama; अपायिनः – go; अनित्या: - non-permanent; तांस्तितिक्षस्व – endure them; भारत – Descendant of Bharatha.

Meaning:

O Son of Kunti, the contact of senses with the objects gives us the feel of heat / cold, happiness/ sorrow. These are not permanent, they come and go, so endure them , O descendant of Bharatha !

Significance:

mAtrAsparsha – is the contact of the sense organs – eyes, ears, skin, nose, tongue, with their respective objects. When this contact occurs, we experience heat / cold / happiness / sorrow. Lord Krishna says this experience is not permanent, an object which gives pleasure to us in one situation can give us sorrow in another. The same object becomes the reason for happiness and sorrow for the same individual. For example: Taking bath in cold water in summer season gives us pleasure, while the same does not give pleasure in winter season. Thus, these experiences that we get by the contact of sense organs with objects are not permanent. Lord Krishna says that one should learn to tolerate these with discrimination, fortitude and patience and be neutral in all situations. These situations will soon pass by themselves as they are non-permanent. Being non disturbed by external things is the quality of a determined person.