ते ह्लाद परितापफलाः पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात् ॥२.१४॥
पदविभाग: ते, ह्लाद-परिताप-फलाः, पुण्य-अपुण्य-हेतुत्वात्।
अन्वय: ते पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात् ह्लादपरितापफलाः (भवन्ति)।
प्रतिपदार्थ: ते = they (the class of birth, lifespan, and experiences), ह्लाद = joy / delight / pleasure, परिताप = sorrow / agony / pain, फलाः = having as their fruits / resulting in, पुण्य = virtue / merit / good deeds, अपुण्य = vice / demerit / bad deeds, हेतुत्वात् = because of being caused by / due to having as their root cause.
तात्पर्यम्: They bear fruit as pleasure or pain, caused by virtue or vice.
Further context on the 65th Sutra from Patanjali’s Yogasutras
The species of life you are born in, its lifespan and the experiences that it’ll come across will be pleasurable or painful. This is decided by whether our actions have been virtuous or vicious.
Puṇya (Virtue/Merit): Actions performed with a pure, helpful, or selfless intention generate positive karmic deposits. When these ripen, they produce Hlāda (joy, pleasure, and favorable circumstances).
Apuṇya (Vice/Demerit): Actions performed out of malice, greed, or extreme ego generate negative karmic deposits. When these ripen, they inevitably produce Paritāpa (agony, suffering, and frictional circumstances).
At first glance, a worldly person reads this and concludes: “Excellent. I will just perform virtuous acts (Puṇya) so that my future experiences (Bhoga) are filled with joy (Hlāda).”
However, yogic philosophy points out a critical flaw in this strategy. While Puṇya is infinitely better than Apuṇya for societal harmony, it is still a trap for the individual soul. Why? Because to experience the joy of your good karma, you must still take birth. You are still trapped in the Karmāśaya (the reservoir). You are just moving from an iron cage into a golden cage.
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