"Bud-dher bhedam dhrutesh-chaiva gunatas-tri-vidham shrunu, Prochya-manam-ashe-shena pruthak-tvena Dhananjaya." Now, O Sanjay, I will describe the three types of intellect and fortitude according to the three Gunas, individually and in detail. Listen to this attentively and in its entirety. Intellect holds great prominence in actions, and all senses function according to the intellect. Now, the differences in the instruments of action are being shown through the divisions of intellect. The power of retention that firmly and well sustains the resolve and thoughts of the intellect, and does not allow one to deviate from one's goal, is called fortitude (Dhruti). Without the power of retention, that is fortitude, the intellect cannot remain firm on good decisions, even those taken with discrimination. Therefore, it is necessary to show the three divisions of fortitude as well. On the path of Moksha, fortitude is needed even more than intellect. The discriminating intellect shows the direction of Moksha, but it is fortitude that carries one along the path of Moksha. Without fortitude, even if the path of Moksha is easily accessible, meaning it is within reach, one cannot benefit from it in the absence of fortitude. The Lord says in the second chapter: "Matra-sparshas-tu Kaunteya sheetoshna-sukha-duhkha-dah, Agamapayino 'nityas-tans-titikshasva Bharata. Yam Yam Restraint. First step of ashtãng-yog, which involves moral living for purity of mind and unobstructed concentration. Tap to open in glossary → Whatever a human does, they do it intellectually, meaning thoughtfully. Despite being engaged in that action, they have a great need for patience. If discrimination and the power of thought are sharp in their intellect, and at the same time, their fortitude is also excellent, only then can a person reach their determined goal without obstacles and without delay. But no matter how high the goal is, and even if the intellect is fertile, if there is a lack of fortitude, then the fertile intellect goes to waste. It holds no meaning. Many people are highly intellectual. They can grasp the exact proper point even from the scriptures. But they are unable to do anything for the liberation of their own soul. This means they have intellect, but they lack patience. Patience has two meanings. One is endurance, and the other is to retain. Here, fortitude (Dhruti) is in the sense of retaining, but it also means endurance. One who endures and pushes forward with endurance, that is called fortitude. The task of selection belongs to the intellect. So, can fortitude be considered a type of intellect? It is a characteristic of the Jiva. Fortitude applies to the Jiva. To endure, and this and that, all of that is mentioned in Atmanistha. Atmanistha means that it is a part of the Jiva; fortitude sits as a part of it. Here, in the ongoing chapter on the instigators of action and the constituents of action for spiritual seekers, just as knowledge, action, and the doer are important, similarly, for the seeker to remain constantly engaged in spiritual practice and not lose heart, intellect and fortitude are equally necessary. Therefore, the Lord describes three divisions of each here. The implication is that by practicing with Sattvik intellect and fortitude, the seeker transcends the world and attains the state of the Supreme Lord. Dhananjaya: One of Arjuna's names is Dhananjaya. When the Pandavas performed the Rajasuya sacrifice, Arjuna conquered many kings and brought back a vast amount of wealth. Therefore, his name became Dhananjaya. The Lord implies that the true wealth of the soul is the attainment of the Supreme Lord. Only by adopting intellect and fortitude can one attain God. Therefore, if you acquire this wealth now, you will truly live up to the name Dhananjaya. "Bud-dher bhedam dhrutesh-chaiva gunatas-tri-vidham shrunu." The Lord now shows the divisions of intellect and fortitude based on the dominance of the Gunas. Fortitude has not appeared anywhere in the constituents of action or the instigators of action, such as the ears, etc. It was shown earlier that these many are the instigators of action and these many are the constituents. Five causes. Three of each were mentioned. Those five are its causes. They are causes. "Jnanam, jneyam, and jnata"—these three are the instigators. That is what was said earlier. Fortitude has not appeared anywhere in the constituents of action or the instigators of action, such as the ears, etc., which is why the Lord uses the term "dhrutesh-chaiva." I will describe the three divisions of intellect, but I will also describe the three divisions of fortitude. From an ordinary perspective, fortitude appears to be a part or a quality of the intellect. Despite being a quality of the intellect, fortitude is distinct and extraordinary compared to the intellect, because fortitude resides within the doer themselves. It is because of that fortitude that a human can make good use of the intellect. Fortitude is a part of the Jiva. Residing in the doer means it is a part of the Jiva. The more excellent, powerful, and Sattvik the fortitude is, the more the seeker's intellect will remain steady in spiritual practice. In spiritual practice, even the stability of the mind is not as necessary as the stability of the intellect. Yes, if one wishes to attain supernatural powers like Anima, etc., then they will certainly need stability of the mind. What happens when the mind becomes steady? Prosperity comes. Prosperity comes. When the mind becomes focused, supernatural powers immediately begin to manifest, as stated in the Yoga Sutras. But if the intellect becomes steady in God, then one attains Moksha. In spiritual practice, even the stability of the mind is not as necessary as the stability of the intellect. Yes, if one wishes to attain supernatural powers like Anima, etc., then they will certainly need stability of the mind, but that path does not lead to the Supreme Lord; on the contrary, supernatural powers are obstacles on that path. Whereas in spiritual practice, which is considered the practice for the liberation of the soul, where one wants to engage their soul in the service of the Supreme Lord, they will need stability of the intellect. The intellect will need to remain steady on its purpose. Through the intellect, one can understand their goal well, and through fortitude, the doer, the seeker themselves, can remain unwavering on the goal even in adverse circumstances. Therefore, if a goal is to be selected, the intellect will work in that, deciding "my goals are such." One's own intellect works in that. Through the intellect, one can understand their goal well, and through fortitude, the doer, the seeker themselves, can remain unwavering on the goal even in adverse circumstances. Therefore, the Lord... fortitude accomplishes it, and this selects it. Then both together accomplish it. Therefore, the Lord speaks of fully describing the divisions of fortitude here as well. So, can fortitude be developed? Fortitude certainly gets developed. If one does a little today, a little more tomorrow, and more the day after, then endurance can increase, can't it? Fortitude... none of these are permanent things, except for the Jivatma. Not much change happens in that. It remains exactly as its nature is. All of these are instruments, and they can be developed. Shlok Shlok A verse from shãstras. Tap to open in glossary → It selects. Knowing means it selects. A person has their platforms; they have so many options for any single thing. All chances are there. Which one they select reveals what kind of intellect they possess. Bhishma was also a disciple of Brihaspati. Uddhavaji was also a disciple of Brihaspati, and Brihaspati himself. Brihaspati started the Charvaka philosophy. Bhishma supported Duryodhana, and Uddhavaji selected Lord Shri Krishna Krishna 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan. Tap to open in glossary → AI translation of the Gujarati transcript above, produced in the same pass that transcribed the audio, one English segment per Gujarati segment. Devotional and technical terms with no precise English equivalent (kirtan, satsang, vasana, samskara, and similar) are kept as their plain transliteration rather than force-translated. Not human-proofread., AI-translated, unverified · Source details