Bhagavad Gita 18.37
यत्तदग्रे विषमिव परिणामेऽमृतोपमम् । तत्सुखं सात्त्विकं प्रोक्तमात्मबुद्धिप्रसादजम् ॥
yat tad agre viṣam iva pariṇāme 'mṛtopamam / tat sukhaṃ sāttvikaṃ proktam ātma-buddhi-prasāda-jam
Translation
That which is like poison at first and nectar in its outcome, born of the clarity of self and intellect, is declared the happiness of the bright kind.
Reflection
Which discipline are you in the bitter early phase of, tempted to abandon before its sweetness arrives?
Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Eighteen
Sattvika sukha. Two markers. The arc, agre visham iva, parimane amritopamam, bitter at the beginning, nectar at the end. The source, atma-buddhi-prasada-jam, born from the inward settling of self and intellect. Notice the shape. The early days of any genuine practice taste like poison. The body resists. The mind protests. The ego sulks. Stay, and slowly the same practice yields a steady inward sweetness that no consumed pleasure can match. This is true of meditation, of dietary discipline, of celibacy, of fidelity, of honest speech, of all sadhana. The sattvika happiness is the slow harvest. It is the only happiness that does not turn on you later.