B.G 14.16
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्। रजसस्तु फलं दुःखं अज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥१६॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam। rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhaṃ ajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ॥16॥
[कर्मणः (karmaṇaḥ) - of action; सुकृतस्य (sukṛtasya) - of good deeds; आहुः (āhuḥ) - they say; सात्त्विकं (sāttvikaṃ) - pure; निर्मलं (nirmalaṃ) - spotless; फलम् (phalam) - result; रजसः (rajasah) - of passion; तु (tu) - but; फलम् (phalam) - result; दुःखं (duḥkhaṃ) - sorrow; अज्ञानं (ajñānaṃ) - ignorance; तमसः (tamasaḥ) - of darkness; फलम् (phalam) - result;]
(The result of good action is said to be pure and spotless; but the result of passion is sorrow, and the result of darkness is ignorance.)
The outcome of virtuous actions is considered pure and untainted, while the outcome of passionate actions leads to sorrow, and the outcome of ignorance leads to darkness.
Gīta Bhāshya 14.16
The result of passion indicated as 'sorrow' in the context means a mixed bag of happiness and unhappiness, which ultimately leads to sorrow. But this is not as bad as ignorance.
'रजसस्तु फलं दुःखं' इति अल्पसुखं दुःखम्। तथाहि शार्कराक्ष्यशाखायाम्-
'rajasastu phalaṁ duḥkhaṁ' iti alpasukhaṁ duḥkham। tathāhi śārkarākṣyaśākhāyām-
[रजसः (rajasah) - of passion; तु (tu) - but; फलं (phalam) - fruit; दुःखं (duḥkham) - sorrow; इति (iti) - thus; अल्पसुखं (alpasukham) - little happiness; दुःखम् (duḥkham) - sorrow; तथाहि (tathāhi) - thus indeed; शार्कराक्ष्यशाखायाम् (śārkarākṣyaśākhāyām) - in the branch of Śārkarākṣya;]
The phrase 'the result of passion is sorrow' conveys that it brings little happiness, which is also sorrowful. This is indeed stated in the Śārkarākṣya branch:
"रजसो ह्येव जायते मात्रया सुखं दुःखम्। तस्मात् तान् सुखिनो दुःखिन इत्याचक्षते॥"
"rajaso hyeva jāyate mātrayā sukhaṃ duḥkham। tasmāt tān sukhino duḥkhina ityācakṣate॥"
[रजसः (rajasah) - of passion; हि (hi) - indeed; एव (eva) - certainly; जायते (jāyate) - arises; मात्रया (mātrayā) - by measure; सुखम् (sukham) - happiness; दुःखम् (duḥkham) - sorrow; तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore; तान् (tān) - them; सुखिनः (sukhinaḥ) - happy; दुःखिनः (duḥkhinaḥ) - unhappy; इति (iti) - thus; आचक्षते (ācakṣate) - they call;]
"Limited happiness and sorrow are born from passion. Therefore, they call them happy and unhappy."
इति।
iti।
[इति (iti) - thus;]
- stated thus.
अन्यथा दुःखस्य अतिकष्टत्वात् तमोधिकत्वं रजसो न स्यात् ॥१६॥
anyathā duḥkhasya atikaṣṭatvāt tamodhikatvaṃ rajaso na syāt ॥16॥
[अन्यथा (anyathā) - otherwise; दुःखस्य (duḥkhasya) - of sorrow; अतिकष्टत्वात् (atikaṣṭatvāt) - due to extreme difficulty; तमोधिकत्वं (tamodhikatvaṃ) - predominance of darkness; रजसो (rajaso) - of passion; न (na) - not; स्यात् (syāt) - would be;]
Otherwise, i.e. taking it to be extreme difficulty and only sorrow, would render passion worse than ignorance, which is not.
