Shloka 19

Devanagari script

धृतिर्नाम सुखे दुःखे यथा नाप्रोति विक्रियाम्‌ ता भजेत सदा प्राज्ञो य इच्छेद्‌ भूतिमात्मन:,सुख या दु:ख प्राप्त होनेपर मनमें विकार न होना “धृति” है। जो अपनी उन्नति चाहता हो, उस बुद्धिमान्‌ पुरुषको सदा ही 'धृति” का सेवन करना चाहिये

Transliteration

dhṛtir nāma sukhe duḥkhe yathā nāpnoti vikriyām | tā bhajeta sadā prājño ya icched bhūtim ātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma bersabda: “Dhṛti (keteguhan) ialah keadaan di mana, dalam suka dan duka, minda tidak terganggu atau berubah. Maka orang bijaksana yang menginginkan kesejahteraan dan kemajuan sejatinya hendaklah sentiasa memupuk keteguhan ini.”

Word by Word

धृतिःsteadfastness, fortitude

नामindeed; by name

सुखेin happiness

दुःखेin sorrow

यथाso that; as

नnot

आप्नोतिattains; undergoes

विक्रियाम्change; disturbance

ताम्that (fortitude)

भजेतshould practice; should resort to

सदाalways

प्राज्ञःthe wise person

यःwho

इच्छेत्should desire

भूतिम्prosperity; welfare

आत्मनःof oneself

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dhṛti (steadfastness) is defined as maintaining inner stability—no mental agitation or distortion—when confronted with both happiness and sorrow; a person seeking true welfare should continually cultivate this quality.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma is defining a key ethical-psychological virtue (dhṛti) and prescribing its constant practice as a foundation for personal well-being and righteous living.