Bhagavad Gita 18.34
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 34 of 78
यया तु धर्मकामार्थान् धृत्या धारयते ऽर्जुन । प्रसङ्गेन फलाकाङ्क्षी धृतिः सा पार्थ राजसी ॥
yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate 'rjuna | prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī ||
Rājasic dhṛti: holds fast to dharma, kāma, and artha with attachment, desiring the fruit of each.
Word by word (3)
- yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate 'rjuna
- — but (tu) by that dhṛti (yayā) by which one holds fast (dhārayate) dharma + kāma + artha (the three-fold puruṣārtha: righteousness, pleasure, wealth), O Arjuna — rājasic dhṛti holds the three pursuits but with attachment
- prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī
- — with attachment (prasaṅgena = through-attachment), desiring/coveting (ākāṅkṣī) the fruit/reward (phala), that (sā) dhṛti (firmness), O Pārtha, is rājasic (rājasī) — the two markers: prasaṅga (attachment) + phalākāṅkṣā (fruit-desire)
- dharma-kāmārtha
- — dharma (righteousness/duty) + kāma (desire/pleasure) + artha (wealth/material gain) — the three of the four puruṣārthas (excluding mokṣa); the rājasic person holds fast to all three pursuits but does so with fruit-attachment, not the clarity of sāttvic dhṛti; crucially, dharma appears here — rājasic dhṛti can pursue dharma but does so for its fruits (reputation, karma-merit), not as pure dharma
But that firmness by which one, with attachment, holds to dharma, pleasure, and wealth, desiring the fruit of each — that firmness, O Pārtha, is rājasic.
A modern analogy
Rājasic dhṛti is the disciplined professional who holds steadily to their work (dharma), their personal pleasures (kāma), and their wealth-building (artha) — with impressive discipline. But underneath the discipline is attachment to outcomes: they persist because they want the results. If the results stopped coming, the discipline would likely collapse. Compare this to sāttvic dhṛti, where the holding is yogic — steady because it rests in union with the higher Self, not because it is chasing a fruit.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
But the firmness with which one holds fast to dharma and pleasures and wealth, desiring the fruit of each on its occasion, that firmness, O Partha, is Rajasic. [1]
But the fortitude by which one regulates (one's mind) to Dharma, desire, and wealth, desirous of the fruit of each from attachment, that fortitude, O Partha, is Rajasika. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
But that constancy by which one holds to religion, desire, and profit, through attachment, desiring fruit, that constancy, O son of Pritha, is of the quality of passion. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Rājasic karma: done desiring pleasures or with ego-pride, involving great effort.
Sāttvic tyāga: niyata karma done ONLY because 'this must be done,' having abandoned attachment and fruit.
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Sāttvic yajña: performed as ordained, without fruit-desire, with the conviction 'this must be done.'
Sat means: being/reality, goodness/virtue, and praiseworthy action — three registers of the one word.
Hear My definitive word on tyāga, O best of Bharatas — tyāga has been declared three-fold, O tiger among men.
Verse 34 of 78 · back to Chapter 18