यया तु धर्मकामार्थान्धृत्या धारयतेऽर्जुन |
प्रसङ्गेन फलाकाङ् क्षी धृति: सा पार्थ राजसी || 34||
yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛityā dhārayate ‘rjuna
prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣhī dhṛitiḥ sā pārtha rājasī
yayā—by which; tu—but; dharma-kāma-arthān—duty, pleasures, and wealth; dhṛityā—through steadfast will; dhārayate—holds; arjuna—Arjun; prasaṅgena—due of attachment; phala-ākāṅkṣhī—desire for rewards; dhṛitiḥ—determination; sā—that; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; rājasī—in the mode of passion
Translation:
O Arjuna! that firmness by which, with attachment to the fruits of action, man holds to Dharma, wealth, and desire, is called Rajasic.
Commentary:
The aim of human life is fourfold (1) Dharma; (2) Artha, (3) Kama; (4) Moksha . Of these, the first three only are mentioned here. The fourth ‘Moksha’ is not mentioned. From this, we understand that Rajasic courage does not think of liberation as the goal of life. So, from the point of spiritual realisation, this type of courage is not the highest. Only that courage is the highest which sees and knows the Truth as it is. He who has it is the best of men. Atmajnana is the highest duty of man.
Prasangena: The Rajasic man is strongly attached to the fruits of action. Hence the emphatic form ‘prasangena’ is used here.
Question: What is the nature of Rajasic Dhriti?
Answer: That courage by which man performs actions with attachment to the fruits of Dharma, Kama, and Artha is known as ‘Rajasic Dhriti’.