Verse 18.38
विषयेन्द्रियसंयोगाद्यत्तदग्रेऽमृतोपमम् । परिणामे विषमिव तत्सुखं राजसं स्मृतम् ॥ १८.३८ ॥
जो सुख विजय और इन्द्रियों के संयोग से होता है, वह पहले —-भोग काल में अमृत के तुल्य प्रतीत होने पर भी परिणाम में विष के तुल्य है ; इसलिये वह सुख राजस कहा गया है ।
However O Arjuna, pleasure which is derived immediately from the contact of the senses with their objects, appears to the human senses as the sweet nectar at first, but later it is discovered to be nothing more than poison to one’s own being. This pleasure is known as the Rajas pleasure of passion.