Bhagavad Gita 18.29 · Krishna
How you decide, how you persist
बुद्धेर्भेदं धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं शृणु।
प्रोच्यमानमशेषेण पृथक्त्वेन धनञ्जय॥
buddherbhedaṃ dhṛteścaiva guṇatastrividhaṃ śṛṇuprocyamānamaśeṣeṇa pṛthaktvena dhanañjaya
Now hear, fully and one by one, the three kinds of understanding and of resolve, by the gunas, Dhananjaya.
Words
- buddhi
- guṇa
What it means
Krishna moves to two more inner faculties. Buddhi, understanding, how we judge right and wrong. And dhriti, resolve, the steadiness that keeps us going. Both, he says, come in three kinds. Knowing which kind you're using can change your decisions and your staying power.
The story
Arjuna's understanding wobbled and his resolve collapsed in chapter one. Krishna is now giving him a way to check both.
In your life
Think of someone who made a smart new year's resolution and dropped it by February. Good judgement, weak resolve. Ask yourself today which of the two you need more.
Judge clearly. Persist steadily.