टीका

Commentary

Tamasic determination is not determination toward any worthy goal — it is the stubborn inability to let go of destructive states of mind. The person with tamasic dhriti clings to svapnam (excessive sleep and dreaming), bhayam (fear), shokam (grief), vishaadam (despair), and madam (intoxication and vanity).

The word durmedhaa — “of foolish intelligence” — captures the essence. This is not willpower in any productive sense. It is the obstinacy of a person who cannot or will not rise above their lowest tendencies. They are “determined” only in the sense that they are stubbornly stuck.

One should not conclude from this that a sattvic person never dreams. The word svapnam here refers to the tendency toward excessive sleep and fantasy. Dreams are a natural phenomenon — sattvic, rajasic, or tamasic. But the person who cannot drag themselves out of bed, who cannot face reality without the crutch of intoxication or fantasy, who clings to their fears and sorrows as if they were treasures — that person’s willpower is tamasic.

Those who are dominated by pride and cannot move beyond fantasy, who remain perpetually afraid and sorrowful, whose vital energy and mental faculties are trapped in these dark states — their determination is tamasic.