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मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु: खदा: |
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || 14||
O son of Kunti, the interaction between the senses and the sense objects give rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. They are transient, they come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendant of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them.
We experience this mortal world with the five senses that Bhagwan gave us in this mortal body. These five senses are the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. We experience joy, sorrow, and other such temporary feelings with the help of these senses.
Our perception of the inputs received through these senses gives us joy and sorrow. But the main thing that Bhagwan Shri Krishna highlights in this shloka is that the pleasure and distress that we feel with the help of these senses are temporary. They are not permanent and thus one must learn to bear it.
The pleasure that we attach to material objects is not permanent. Sometimes, that same material object will fail to give us delight. I love eating ice cream and a bowl or two won’t hurt on any day. But that same ice cream bowl would be useless when suffering from fever. Bathing with cold water will be enjoyable in hot summer but that same cold water will be a source of misery in the cold winter morning.
Bhagwan Shri Krishna is pointing out the transient nature of the pleasure that arises from the contact between our senses and the sense object. Considering that a temporary state of emotion to be permanent one can be considered as an ignorant act.
A sensory perception or the contact between the senses and their objects gives rise to feelings that are temporary just like the winter and summer seasons. So one must not allow those temporary things to affect us permanently. We must learn to tolerate both the feelings of happiness and distress without being disturbed by them, a virtue called Titiksha.
Bhagwan Shri Krishna indirectly points out to Arjun that he must not be permanently affected by the perceptions of the senses but one must cultivate the virtue of Titiksha that is to endure those feelings without anxiety or lament.
Bhagwan Shri Krishna addresses Arjun with two different names: Kaunteya (Son of Kunti) & Bhārata (descendant of the Bharata dynasty). The sole reason for this might be to remind the Arjun of his great heritage and indirectly reminding him of the responsibilities that the descendant of such great lineage has on their shoulders. So, Arjuna should discharge his duties properly without any delusion.
