ॐ
Omrat
Illustration for Bhagavad Gita chapter 18 verse 34
Chapter 18 · Moksha Sanyasa Yoga

Grasping vs. Pursuing · Even Good Goals Can Strain

ॐ

यया तु धर्मकामार्थान्धृत्या धारयतेऽर्जुन । प्रसङ्गेन फलाकाङ्क्षी धृतिः सा पार्थ राजसी ॥

yayā tu dharma-kāmārthān dhṛtyā dhārayate 'rjuna prasaṅgena phalākāṅkṣī dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha rājasī

Meaning

"O Arjuna, the steadfastness by which one clings to duty, pleasure, and wealth out of attachment, desiring their fruits, O Partha, is rajasic."

Explanation

Even good goals — duty, pleasure, prosperity — become a strained kind of grasping when we're gripping them tightly for what they'll get us, rather than pursuing them steadily.

Today's Life Lesson

Notice today if you're gripping tightly to a good goal out of what it'll get you, rather than steadily working toward it.

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