Abstract

A number of passages in the Mahābhārata draw the distinction between bodily pain (śārīraṃ duḥkham) and mental pain (mānasaṃ duḥkham). The notion of bodily pain in these passages seems more or less straightforward. The notion of mental pain, however, is at least initially obscure. My thesis in this paper is that mental pains are states like dislike, dissatisfaction, disappointment, and so on—states that are sometimes referred to as “attitudinal pains.” This analysis is consistent with all four of the criteria of mental pain cited in the Mahābhārata. Additionally, it serves to highlight features of mental pain that are easily overlooked. Finally, the interpretation helps to explain the common claim that life is pervaded by duḥkha.