Dhriti

Dhṛti or Dhriti or Dhruti ( sa, धृति), one of the Yamas, means to 'act with determination' ( Bhagavad Gita Sl. XVIII.26), 'patience' ( Srimad Bhagavatam Sl. V.v.10-13), 'firmness' (''Caitanyacaritamrita Madhya'' Sl. XXIV.11), and refers to 'perseverance' (Caitanyacaritamrita Madhya Sl. XXIV.174), 'wearing regularly' (''Caitanyacaritamrita Madhya'' XXIV.333) and to one of the eleven ''Rudranis'' ( Srimad Bhagavatam Sl.III.xii.13). There is no correct equivalent English word for ''Dhrti'' which is derived from ''dhr-'' meaning 'to bear'. ''Dhrti'' meaning 'fortitude' and 'determination' is defined as the subtle faculty in man that makes him strive continuously towards a goal. It provides courage, enthusiasm and perseverance to face and overcome all odds and obstacles. Dhriti was reborn as Madri in Mahabharata.

Vedic relevance

''Dhrti'' is the name of a Vedic metre of the type 12.12.8, 12.8, 12.8., and is a variety of the ''Atichandas''. It is also the name of a yoga in Hindu Calendar. The Vedic Rishis address their prayers to the Visvedevas just as they do the Adityas and the Maruts; who all as a group are the protectors of the ten Rtas including ''Dhrti'' ('forebearance') which word represents an abstract idea like ''Hri'' and ''Kirti''.

As part of the performance of the ''Ashvamedha yajna'', as mentioned in the ''Shatapatha Brahmana'', ''Asvalayana-srauta-sutra'' and ''Sankhayana-srauta-sutra'', the ''Adhvaryu'' offered, for the safe movement of the Sacrificial Horse during day-time, three ''Istis'' daily to ''Savitr'' and at nightfall performed four ''Dhrti Homas'' for the safe sheltering of that horse during night-time. While the ''Dhrti Homas'' were in progress, a ''Rajanya'' (''Kshatriya'') lute-player (''veenagathi'') sang three songs (''Gatha'') made up of many verses in which he praised the royal-sacrificer with the mention of his heroic exploits, viz., the wars he waged, the battles he won, the conquests he made, so on.

Puranic relevance

The Purana Index lists ''Dhrti'', borne by ''Vijaya'', as one of the sons of '' Dharma'' who was the son of Brahma, and who married all thirteen daughters of '' Daksha'', each of whom bore ''Dhrti'' a son. ''Dhrtavarta'' was the son of ''Dhrti'' and father of ''Satyakarma''. ''Nandi'' was a consort of ''Dhrti''. ''Niyama'' was a son of ''Dhrti''. And, ''Dhrti'' ('courage') is invoked in the ''Grahabalis''.

In the ''Stuti'' of '' Devi Bhagavatam'' (V.22.25-42), '' Devi'', who is the Energy for the creation and destruction of the universe, has been praised as having many names and as residing in all in the form of ''shakti'' ('power and energy'), ''amrti'' ('memory'), ''dhrti'' ('steadfastness'), ''buddhi '' ('intelligence'), so on.

Implication

''Dhrti'' meaning 'fortitude' and 'determination' is defined as the subtle faculty in man that makes him strive continuously towards a goal. It provides courage, enthusiasm and perseverance to face and overcome all odds and obstacles. With regard to the three types of ''Dhrtis'' mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Tejomayananda states that ''Sattvic dhrti'' is the unswerving fortitude with which one works for a noble cause with enthusiasm and dedication, despite obstacles; ''Rajasic dhrti'' is the fortitude displayed for a while, in a part, place or under particular circumstances to achieve particular goals and may dissolve under different circumstances and situations, and ''Tamasic dhrti'' is the stubbornness with which one holds on to the false.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar suggests the three gunas that is determination, similar to dhrti; "The ambition (''rajastic'') keeps the faith alive. Satvic faith is innocence and is born out of fullness of consciousness." Tamasic faith is due to dullness, complacent that only God will take care of all these things. If there is no faith, there is fear. "In Gyana (state of wisdom) there is alertness without tension r fearand faith without complacency." To be one who possesses the higher spiritual knowledge.

The two factors that supply the fuel and the motive force in all sustained endeavours are - ''buddhi'' ('understanding') and ''dhrti'' ('fortitude'), the former is 'the intellectual capacity to grasp what is happening' and the latter is 'the constancy of purpose and self-application'. Abhinavagupta states that since everyone works therefore, everyone possesses ''dhrti''; he holds ''buddhi'' to mean 'resolution' and ''dhrti'' to mean 'satisfaction'.

In Hinduism, four things viz. Śruti and Smriti which are society’s codes of ethics, ''sadacara'' which is good noble conduct accepted by society; and ''svasya ca priyam atmanah'' which is one’s own joy and pleasure, determine Dharma. The ''sanatana dharma'' is the eternal universal values to be followed by all people in life, and ''varnasrama dharma'' consists of specific duties given to each individual; Dharma means that holds everyone and everything together which leads to material prosperity and spiritual realization in this life itself. According to Manu, ''Dhrti'' is one of the ten values necessary for all people at all times that characterize Dharma. ''Dhrti'' means fortitude; it means the capacity to hold on to something. It is the ''sattavic dhrti'' which is strength, force and ability that makes us hold on to noble values of life.

''Sattavic dhrti'' and ''Sattvic buddhi'' are mutually related terms. Krishna explains to Arjuna ( Bhagavad Gita Sl. XVIII.30):

:प्रवृति च निवृति च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये ,
:बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी , ,

Meaning; "That which knows the paths of work and renunciation, what ought to be done and what not to be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, that 'understanding' is ''sattvic'' ('pure')." In the Bhagavad Gita the nature of Sattvic reasoning, Rajasic reasoning and Tamasic reasoning is described this way, as paths of work and renunciation. Which means the function of the intellect is discrimination, the faculty of 'right understanding ' (''buddhi'') which gives real joy, success and prosperity. With regard to sattvic dhrti he states ( Bhagavad Gita l. XVIII.33):

:धृत्या यया धारयते मनः प्राणेन्द्रियकिर्याः ,
:योगेनव्यभिचरिण्या धृतिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी , ,

The unwavering 'fortitude' by which through Yoga, the functions of the mind, the Prana and the senses are restrained, that 'fortitude', is ''sattvic'' ('pure').
In this context Sankara in his Bhasya on the Bhagavad Gita explains that 'action' (way of works) is movement leading to bondage and 'inaction' (renunciation) leads to liberation. The remote expression – unwavering or unfaltering or unbroken concentration, should be related to resolve or ''dhrti''; the sense is that the functions of the mind and so forth, maintained through unfaltering resolve, are in fact maintained through concentration.

Yogic relevance

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra II.28 reads:-

:योगाङगानुष्ठानादशुध्दिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिराविवेकख्यातेः ,

:"From the consistent practice of the parts of the Yoga-process, on the elimination of the impurity, the radiant organ of perception becomes manifest, until there is a steady discriminative insight."

This means – as impurities are eliminated through the observance of the steps of yoga, a gradual kindling of knowledge occurs up to the full illumination of discriminatory wisdom. Discriminatory wisdom as virtue is the cause of happiness, and both, Vyasa and Vijnanabhikshu in their commentaries list nine causes including as the ninth cause ''Dhrti'' here meaning sustenance; and agree that the ''yoga-angas'' eradicate the impurity in both tangible (''drshta'') and intangible (''adrshta'') ways i.e. the physical practices such as purification (''shaucha''), and through ''japa''. Elimination means disappearance of the veil on the ''sattva mind-field''. The body is the sustainer of the senses being their resort but the senses sustain the body by way of providing spiritual and material welfare. The gross elements are the sustainers of the body and also sustain each other; the diverse sub-human, human and celestial bodies are mutually the sustainers and the sustained. ''Dhrti'' also means patience, remaining true to duty (dharmas - religious duties, moral rights and duties) even in calamities, and perfection in maintaining wisdom.

Vaishno relevance

Verse II.vi.145 of ''Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu'' states – the steadiness of heart arising from attaining realization of the Lord, from absence of suffering in attaining the realization of the Lord, and from realizing ''prema'' with the Lord is called ''dhrti''; in this state there is no lamentation for things not attained or for things that have disappeared. ''Ksama'' ('tolerance') is included in ''dhrti-bhava''. The three types of ''rati'' ('relationship of love', 'attraction') are ''priti'' ('affection'), '' sakhya'' ('friendship') and ''vatsalya'', ''dhrti'' along with ''vitarka'' ('conjecture'), '' mati'' ('scriptural conclusion'), ''nirveda'' ('self-disgust'), ''smrti '' ('remembrance'), ''harsa'' ('joy'), and the type of ''bodha'' arising from destruction of ignorance become somewhat causes of ''rati''.

References

{{Indian Philosophy, state=collapsed

Yoga concepts
Hindu philosophical concepts
Sanskrit words and phrases