Three-fold misery (i.e., Three kinds of pain)

The earthly life is full of three kinds of pain. Duḥkha ‘tray the triad of pain’ means the three kinds of pain. The three kinds of misery are Ādhyātmika-intra organic, Ādhibhautika-caused by external influences and Ādhidaivika-caused by supernatural agencies.

Sāṃkhyakārika says that—

duḥkhatrayābhighātājjijñāsā tadapaghātakehetau || ^[1]

The Ādhyātmika includes bodily disease and mental infirmity or suffering. Pain arising from particular states of the body and mind i.e. from what is considered as parts of own being is Ādhyātmika. The intra organic is twofold, bodily and mental. Bodily pain is caused by the disorder of tridoṣa, the wind (vāta), the bile (pitta) or (heat) and the phlegm (kapha). The mental misery is caused by kāma (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (infatuation), bhaya (fear), īrṣyā (envy), viṣāda (grief) and known as the perception of particular objects. All these are called Ādhyātmika as they belong to internal remedies. Pain caused by other living beings e.g. snake, man etc., is Ādhibhautika. It is caused by external influences. Ādhibhautika misery is caused by man, beasts, birds, reptiles and plants and inanimate things. Ādhidaivika is caused by super natural influences. This misery is caused by the evil influences of Yakṣa, Rākṣasa, Vināyaka and planets etc. One must first ascertain the root cause of all pain and know the means where by the root cause can be eradicated. Elimination of all miseries by such means leads to attainment of liberation. That is kaivalya or nirvāṇa Mokṣa. These three types of pains depending upon the alternation arising from the lack of balance of the guṇas are to be experienced by every individual and cannot be prevented.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sāṃkhyakārikā 1.