Bhagavad Gita BG 18.33
Chapter 18, Verse 33 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
धृत्या यया धारयते मनःप्राणेन्द्रियक्रियाः । योगेनाव्यभिचारिण्या धृतिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ॥
dhrtya yaya dharayate manah-prana-indriya-kriyah yogenavyabhicarinya dhrtih sa partha sattviki
Meaning
O Partha, the dhriti (resolve/steadiness) by which, through unwavering yoga (avyabhicarinya yogena), one sustains (dharayate) the activities of the mind (manah), breath/vital energy (prana), and the senses (indriya) — that dhriti is sattvic.
Understanding
Sattvic dhriti is the faculty of unwavering sustenance of the inner life. Yaya dharayate (by which one holds/sustains): dhriti is literally 'holding' — dhri (to hold, to sustain). Manah-prana-indriya-kriyah (the activities of the mind, the pranas/vital energies, and the senses): these three cover the full spectrum of inner and sensory life. Avyabhicarinya yogena (through yoga that does not deviate — avyabhicarin = not swerving, not straying; the yoga that is consistent). Sattvic dhriti is the resolve that consistently holds the mind, breath, and senses in their proper direction through yoga — not letting them stray into distraction, agitation, or inertia. This is the foundation of all sustained spiritual practice: the dhriti that maintains the direction of manah, prana, and indriya toward the Real, day after day, without wavering.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| धृत्या | dhrtya | by resolve/steadiness (instrumental of dhriti — the faculty that holds) |
| धारयते | dharayate | sustains, holds, maintains (from dhri = to hold, to sustain) |
| मनःप्राणेन्द्रिय | manah-prana-indriya | mind (manah), vital energy/breath (prana), and senses (indriya) |
| अव्यभिचारिण्या | avyabhicarinya | unwavering, non-deviating (a = not, vyabhicara = deviation/straying) |
| योगेन | yogena | through yoga, by means of the discipline of yoga |
| धृत्या | dhṛtyā | by steadiness |
| यया | yayā | by which |
| धारयते | dhārayate | one holds |
| मनः | manaḥ | mind |
| प्राण | prāṇa | life force, breath |
| इन्द्रिय | indriya | senses |
| क्रियाः | kriyāḥ | activities |
| अव्यभिचारिण्या | avyabhicāriṇyā | undeviating |
| धृतिः | dhṛtiḥ | steadiness |
| सा | sā | that |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Arjuna |
| सात्त्विकी | sāttvikī | in goodness |