ते ह्लादपरितापफलाः पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात्॥१४॥
te=they; hlaada=joy; paritaapa=sorrow; phalaaH=fruit; puNya=merrit; apuNya=demerit, sin; hetutvaat=being caused by, on account of
Taimni
" They have joy or sorrow for their fruit according as their cause is virtue or vice."
Pleasurable or painful experiences are based on whether the thoughts, feelings or actions that produce them were "virtuous" or "vicious". This is the basis law of karma. Virtuous deeds are those that follow the univeral Moral Code.
Aranya
" Because of virtue and vice these (birth, span and experience) produce pleasurable and painful experiences."
The causes of misery are the five kleshas – avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha. Actions which are opposed to them or weaken them are "virtuous" and those that support them are "vicious". So, the results of karma produce happiness if caused by virtue and misery if caused by vice.
Bryant
"These (the type of birth, span of life, and life experience) bear the fruits of pleasure and pain, as a result of (the performance of) virtue and vice"
Vice, apunya, produces a short life which is stressful (paritapa) and gives painful experiences. Virtue, punya, produces good karma resulting in pleasurable (hlada) experiences. As given in sutra 2.3, kleshas of ego and ignorance are the root cause of all suffering. Those who are jivanamuktas (enlightened), experience only the pleasure and pain based on karma that has already started to fructify (prarabdha karma). However, they do not produce fresh karma.
Discussion
This sutra is pretty much a restatement of what Patanjali has already mentioned in the previous two sutras with regard to karma and how they impact the life span, species and life experiences.
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