The resolve by which a dull-witted person does not let go of sleep, fear, grief, despondency, and conceit — that resolve, Partha, is tamasic.
यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च | न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ||१८-३५||
Sorrow
Sorrow refers to emotional pain across spiritual traditions. Many traditions converge on the idea that sorrow can be transformative. They diverge in their approaches to addressing and finding meaning in sorrow.
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For I do not see what would drive away the grief that withers my senses, even were I to win unrivaled and prosperous kingship over the earth, or even lordship over the gods.
न हि प्रपश्यामि ममापनुद्याद् यच्छोकमुच्छोषणमिन्द्रियाणाम् | अवाप्य भूमावसपत्नमृद्धं राज्यं सुराणामपि चाधिपत्यम् ||२-८||
Sanjaya said: Having spoken thus on the field of battle, Arjuna sank down onto the seat of his chariot, casting aside his bow and arrows, his mind overwhelmed with grief.
सञ्जय उवाच | एवमुक्त्वार्जुनः सङ्ख्ये रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् | विसृज्य सशरं चापं शोकसंविग्नमानसः ||१-४७||
In that serenity, all his sorrows come to an end; for the intellect of one whose mind is serene soon becomes firmly established.
प्रसादे सर्वदुःखानां हानिरस्योपजायते | प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बुद्धिः पर्यवतिष्ठते ||२-६५||
'Yet, sir, with all this I know only the sacred words; I do not know the Self. I have heard from those like you that one who knows the Self passes beyond sorrow. But I am one who sorrows, sir. Please carry me across to the other shore of sorrow.' He said to him: 'Whatever you have studied here is merely a name.'
सोऽहं भगवो मन्त्रविदेवास्मि नात्मविच्छ्रुतꣳ ह्येव मे भगवद्दृशेभ्यस्तरति शोकमात्मविदिति सोऽहं भगवः शोचामि तं मा भगवाञ्छोकस्य पारं तारयत्विति तꣳ होवाच यद्वै किंचैतदध्यगीष्ठा नामैवैतत्
The person who possesses such a soul can never be defeated by sorrow or pain. They are as pure as the gods, high-minded, and wise, with no secrets hidden from them.
'and is not slain when the body is slain, nor made lame by the body's lameness — yet people seem to strike at it and chase it; it seems to experience unpleasant things and even seems to weep. I see nothing worth having in this.'
न वधेनास्य हन्यते नास्य स्राम्येण स्रामो घ्नन्ति त्वेवैनं विच्छादयन्तीवाप्रियवेत्तेव भवत्यपि रोदितीव नाहमत्र भोग्यं पश्यामीति
When a man sees God's choice and abandons his own choice, he is delivered from all sorrow. Satisfaction expels sorrows and cures heedlessness, and purges the heart of thoughts relating to other than God and frees it from the bonds of tribulation.
Such Storms descend upon me from the Skies, / That salt Tears ever sparkle in mine Eyes; / The Smoke of my Lament goes up to Heaven, / For ever fall my Tears, my Groans arise.
Nought can the Meadows of my Fancy show / Save only Grief's sad-coloured Rose in blow, / From my poor Heart, 'tis such an Arid waste, / Even Despair's pale Herbage will not grow.
Without thee is my Heart in Mourning clad, / Show but thy Face, and straightway I am glad; / If all men had a share in my Heart's Grief, / No Heart in all the World but would be sad.
When thou art absent Sorrow dims my sight, / My Tree of Hope is barren of Delight, / And I, when thou art absent, all alone / Sit, and shall sit until my Soul takes flight.
Alas, how long, then, must I sorrow so? / Bereft of all, my Tears unceasing flow; / Turned from each Threshold I will turn to Thee, / And if Thou fail'st me, whither shall I go?
Prince! through my Heart I am Affliction's prey, / It is the same all night and all the day, / I often grieve that I should grieve so much; — / O Someone take my graceless Heart away!
'Here a father is no father, a mother no mother, the worlds no worlds, the gods no gods, the Vedas no Vedas. Here a thief is no thief, a killer of an embryo no killer, an outcaste no outcaste, a Paulkasa no Paulkasa, a wandering monk no monk, an ascetic no ascetic. He is not followed by good, not followed by evil, for then he has crossed beyond all the sorrows of the heart.'
अत्र पिताऽपिता भवति माताऽमाता लोका अलोका देवा अदेवा वेदा अवेदा अत्र स्तेनोऽस्तेनो भवति भ्रूणहाऽभ्रूणहा चाण्डालोऽचण्डालः पौल्कसोऽपौल्कसो श्रमणोऽश्रमण स्तापसोऽतापसोऽनन्वागतं पुण्येनानन्वागतं पापेन अश्रमणस्तापससतापससनन्वागतस्पुण्येन अनन्वागतस्पापेन तीर्णो हि तदा सर्वाञ्छोकान्हृदयस्य भवति ॥ २२॥
The student, out of grief, resolved not to eat. The teacher's wife said to him: "Student, eat! Why aren't you eating?" He said: "In this person there are many desires, running in all directions. I am filled up with afflictions. I will not eat."
स ह व्याधिनानशितुं दध्रे तमाचार्यजायोवाच ब्रह्मचारिन्नशान किं नु नाश्नासीति स होवाच बहव इमेऽस्मिन्पुरुषे कामा नानात्यया व्याधीभिः प्रतिपूर्णोऽस्मि नाशिष्यामीति
By your grace, my lord, doubt, sorrow, error, and delusion have vanished from my heart
नाथ एक बर मागौ राम कृपा करि देहु, जन्म जन्म प्रभु पद कमल कबहु घऐ जनि नेहु "म्य् लोर्द्, इ wओउल्द् अस्क् ओने बोओन्; ग्रन्त् इत् इन् योउर् मेर्च्य्, राम. मय् म्य् लोवे फ़ोर्
A spiritual guide who takes their disciple's money but doesn't help them overcome their sorrow will face severe punishment.
The Lord, being merciful to the afflicted, placed His lotus hand on my head and freed me from all sorrow.
दयालुः खलꣳ मम शीर्षे धृत्वा कराꣳभोजꣳ शोचात् प्रमुच्यते
Because pride is the root of the cycle of birth and death, and it is the cause of all types of pain and every form of sorrow.