Text 124

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of Text 124:

अनुग्रहलक्षणं सुखम् । स्रगाद्यभिप्रेतविषयसान्निध्ये सतीष्टोपलब्धीन्द्रियार्थसन्निकर्षाद् धर्माद्यपेक्षाद् आत्ममनसोः सम्योगाद् अनुग्रहाभिष्वङ्गनयनादिप्रसादजनकम् उत्पद्यते तत् सुखम् । अतीतेषु विषयेषु स्मृतिजम् । अनागतेषु सङ्कल्पजम् । यत् तु विदुषाम् असतु विषयानुस्मरणेछासङ्कल्पेष्वाविर्भवति तद् विद्याशमसन्तोषधर्मविशेषनिमित्तम् इति ॥ १२४ ॥

anugrahalakṣaṇaṃ sukham | sragādyabhipretaviṣayasānnidhye satīṣṭopalabdhīndriyārthasannikarṣād dharmādyapekṣād ātmamanasoḥ samyogād anugrahābhiṣvaṅganayanādiprasādajanakam utpadyate tat sukham | atīteṣu viṣayeṣu smṛtijam | anāgateṣu saṅkalpajam | yat tu viduṣām asatu viṣayānusmaraṇechāsaṅkalpeṣvāvirbhavati tad vidyāśamasantoṣadharmaviśeṣanimittam iti || 124 ||

Text (124): Pleasure is of the nature of ‘favour’ or agreeableness. When there is proximity of such desirable things as a garland and the like, there being a commingling of that thing, its perception and the senseorgan capable of taking cognizance of it, the contact of the soul and. the mind, aided by the agency of Dharma etc., brings about a feeling which produces such effects as ‘favour’, ‘affection’, brightness of the eyes etc.; and this feeling is what is called ‘sukta’ or ‘pleasure.’

In regard to past objects, it is produced by memory; in regard to future objects it is brought about by reflection; and that which is felt by the wise, independently of all such agencies as the remembrance of the object, desire and reflection, is due to their knowledge, peacefulness of mind, contentment, and the peculiar character of their virtues.—(X i-1 to 6, and V-ii-l5).

Commentary: The Nyāyakandalī of Śrīdhara.

(English rendering of Śrīdhara’s commentary called Nyāyakandalī or Nyāyakaṇḍalī from the 10th century)

In as much as pleasure is a product of Buddhi, the author proceeds to describe it after having dealt with Buddhi. Pleasure is of the nature of favour Pleasure having the character of something desirable or favourable, when bringing about the experiencing of its objective, favours the person as it were. The author explains this further: When etc., when such desired things as a garland, sweet unguents, the woman one loves and so forth, are within his reach, there being a commingling of the object, its preception and the organ percepient of it, this gives rise, through the help of the agency of virtue etc, to a feeling which is called ‘pleasure Even when the desired object is within our reach, if our mind is taken up by some other object (and we fail to perceive the former), we do not feel any pleasure; lienee we conclude that a perception or cognition of the object also is a factor in the cause bringing about pleasure. By ‘etcetera’ in the expression ‘virtue etc.,’ are meant such other concomitant circumstances as good health and the like.

‘Which. produces such effects etc,’ In this the author points out the effects of the feeling described. ‘Anugraha’, ‘Favour’ is the experiencing or feeling of pleasure; ‘Abhiṣvaṅga,’ ‘ Affection,’ is the feeling of attachment or attraction towards the object; ‘nayanādiprasāda,’ is the brightness of the eyes and face. These indications are the effects of pleasure. When pleasure appears, it produces an experience of itself in the mind of the person; and this is the ‘favour’ to the experiencing soul; and when pleasure is experienced, the face becomes bright. Pleasure also gives rise to an affection or attraction to wards the objects affording the pleasure.

In regard to past objects the pleasure is produced by memory or remembrance. That is to say, after we have once derived pleasure from an object, at any subsequent time, whenever we remember that object, we experience a sort of re-trospective pleasure. And in regard to future objects, pleasure is produced by the reflection or anticipation—‘such and such an object will be mine. In the case of the ‘wise,’ that is persons who have realised the true nature of the self, we find that, even when there is no object to afford the pleasure, no remembrance of any such object, nor again any reflection of it, a pleasure is actually felt; and this is due to their knowledge, the peaceful nature of their minds, their contentment, and the peculiar nature of their virtues. (1) The ‘knowledge’ here meant is the realisation of the self; (2) The ‘peaceful nature of their minds’ consists in the fact of their senses being under proper control: (3) contentment consists in their not desiring any thing beyoun what may be absolutely necessary for the keeping of the body; (4) the ‘peculiar character of their virtues’ consists in tending towards withdrawing the mind from the objects of sense. These four are the causes of the pleasures of the ‘wise.’

There are some people who hold that ‘pleasure’ consists in the absence of pain; but this view is not compatible with the well-known experience of bliss in a positive form; nor would it be possible to explain, in accordance with this view, the two-fold action of persons with the two-fold motive (a) ‘I shall obtain this pleasurable thing’ and (b) ‘I shall avoid that which is undesirable.’