Mahabharata 6.46.33 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 46, Shloka 33
भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation
धृत्या यया धारयते मन:प्राणेन्द्रियक्रिया: । योगेनाव्यभिचारिण्या धृतिः सा पार्थ सात््विकी
dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ | yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī ||
O Partha, that steadfastness (dhṛti) by which a person, through the discipline of yoga and unwavering constancy, holds the mind, the vital breath (prāṇa), and the activities of the senses firmly under control—that steadfastness is sāttvika.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sāttvika dhṛti is unwavering inner firmness that, through yogic discipline, restrains and sustains the mind, the life-breath, and the senses—supporting consistent ethical conduct without deviation.
In the dialogue on the battlefield, Arjuna is questioning and classifying qualities (here, types of steadfastness). This verse defines the sāttvika form as steady, yoga-grounded self-mastery.
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