The concept of Dhairya (steadfastness)
To remain firm in the face of adversity is a trait of character that is
key to success in life. Mostly inborn, it can be cultivated also under
advice from the wise or through the sheer force of circumstances. There do
come moments in life when a person finds himself on the verge of losing
self-control. Were he to collect himself at that moment, he may be able to
chart for himself a new course. Though easier said than done, he has to be
firm and not go under the pressure of emotions, sentiments and feelings.
That is the purport of the advice of Vasishtha to Aja not attending to the
affairs of the State, as goes the story in Raghuvamsa of Kalidasa, on
account of the grievous loss of his beloved wife Indumati:
drumasanumatoh kim antaram yadi vayau dvitaye 'pi te calah "what
distinction would be there between a tree and a mountain if they both were
to shake under the impact of wind".
One has to continue standing up against all odds and not to wilter.
That is the sign of true conduct. It is the quality of steadfastness that
occupies the first place among the indications, O laksanas, of right
conduct:
dhrith ksama damo 'steyam saucam indriyanigrahahi dhir vidya satyam akrodho
dasakam dharmalaksanam It is dhrti which is most important. It is this
which enables one to accomplish the most difficult of the things in the
most adverse of the circumstances in life with equanimity which wins
appreciation all round. After the anointment of Rama as Heir Apparent had
been announced he was called into his presence by his father through
Sumantra, the charioteer completely oblivious of the goings on in the
Palace. As he in high spirits noticing the joy of the people was face to
face with his father Dasaratha who with Kaikeyi by his side did not greet
him as usual being completely down and out, Kaikeyi told him of the episode
of the two boons promised by the latter (Dasaratha) which she had asked for
the boons being coronation of Bharata as king and his (Rama's) exile in the
forest for fourteen years. This sudden turn of events against him did have
no impact on him. Neither did he, the noble one, feel sad, nor shaken:
fox na caiva ramah pravivesa sokam. There was no disturbance in his mind
in his proceeding to the forest and leaving the earth (the kingdom) as it
would be in the case of the one who is emancipated: na vanam gantukamasya
tyajatas ca vasundharami sarvalokatigasyeva laksyate cittavikriya Rama
seemed to lose dhairya when he found the cottage bereft of Sita on coming
back to it after killing Marica but collected himself after some time,
formed an alliance with the monkeys and the bears and after a fight with
their help with all powerful Ravana recovered Sita. It is ingrained in the
very nature of the great souls to remain steady even in adversity and
maintain their cool.
As says the Hitopadesa:
vipadi dhairyam athabhyudaye ksama sadasi vakpatuta yudhi vikramahi yasasi
cabhirucir vyasanam srutau prakrtisiddham idam hi mahatmanam "Fortitude in
adversity, forbearance in prosperity, eloquence in an assembly, valour in
battlefield, a liking for fame and a strong attachment to study-these are
the natural possessions of magnanimous".
When he picked up struggle against the British, Mahatma Gandhi was not
unaware of the strength of the mighty British empire, nor was Netaji
Subhash Chandra Bose in raising the tiaDhairya 159 Indian National Army
with practically no resources. Still they carried on. Sheer persistence
paid and they were able to restore the country to freedom. The same is true
of the countless freedom fighters who braved unflinchingly the atrocities
of the foreign rulers and did not lose heart. They continued to be in high
spirits till the last moment:
prarabhyate na khalu vighnabhayena nicaih prarabhya vighnavihata viramanti
madhyahi vighnaih punah punar api pratihanyamanah prarabhya cottamaguna na
parityajantin 6 The sane advice is that one should not give up steadiness
and fortitude even if time is not favourable: tyajyam na dhairyam vidhure
'pi kale."
If one could control oneself, the possibility is that one may
succeed: dhairyat kadacid gatim apnuyat sah.8 Even if there is shipwreck, a
brave person would not flinch from taking to swimming. History furnishes
instances when people actually swam the ocean. The classic example is that
Veer Savarkar who had jumped into the sea in the icy cold winter near
Paris. If one were to look for the criterion for steadfastness, its
definition in simple understandable terms, one has to turn to Kalidasa:
vikarahetau sati vikriyante yesam na cetamsi ta eva dhirah.'
"They alone are self-controlled whose minds are not affected, even if
the cause thereof is present." Another definition of steadfastness could be
"to maintain uniformity in both adversity and prosperity: sampattau ca
vipattau ca mahatam ekarupatal udayan savita rakto rakta evastam eti can1o
"The great remain the same both in prosperity and adversity. The sun is red
when it rises, it is red when it sets." True it is that such people are
rare in this world: sampadi yesam na harso vipadi visado rane ca bhirutvami
] of 160 Society and Culture tam bhuvanatrayatilakam janayati janani sutam
viralami "A mother rarely gives birth to a son, an ornament of the three
worlds, who does not rejoice in prosperity nor does feel sorrow in
adversity and is firm in battle." Such a person who has made fortitude or
forbearance natural to him would never give it up even if he were to be
oppressed (by adversity). The flame of fire even when overturned never
proceeds downward: kadarthitasyapi hi dhairyavrtter na sakyate dhairyagunah
pramarstumi adhomukhasyapi krtasya vahner nadhah sikha yati kadacid eval|12
The people endowed with steadiness never allow their minds to waver or to
lose their clarity. That is their forte. Were they to do so, they would not
be steadfast then. It is these people who once taken a resolve would not
budge even when faced with myriad problems:
krcchre pi na calaty eva dhiranam niscalam manah. Obstacles would look too
small before their will power. The earth would give to them the look of the
house courtyard, the ocean of a canal, the nether world of a patch of land
and Sumeru an anthill: anganavedi vasudha kulya jaladhih sthali ca patalami
valmikas ca suneruh krtapratijnasya dhirsayal Many of the explorations and
inventions owe themselves to such people. Who knows how many years they
spent in deep impenetrable forests to study the wild life or in the oceans
to explore the marine life exposing themselves to all sorts of risks.
Many of them even sacrificed their lives. It needed a Stein to discover
manuscripts in Gobi desert and a Rahul Sankrityayan to find them in Tibet
and an S.R. Rao to discover the submerged Dwaraka, an Edmund Hillary and a
Sherpa Tenzing to conquer Mount Everest and a host of astronauts to conquer
space with a Dhairya 161 landing on the moon and the Mars. It is to such
people, the human dynamos, that humanity owes much of its progress. Once
they chart a course for themselves, there is no going back for them. They
would not stop till they achieve their objective: na niscitarthad viramanti
dhirah. No amount of inducements or the scare of something untoward
happening to them would deflect them from their course.
As says Bhartrhari in support of his assertion that the steady ones
do not rest till they achieve their mission; the gods did not rest content
(while churning the milk ocean) by hitting upon valued gems, nor did they
get scared with deadly poison. They did not rest till they had laid their
hands on nectar. Further on he terms that person to be steadfast in real
sense whom the arrows of the side-glances of the damsels do not pierce, nor
does the heat of the fire of anger singe his mind, nor pull towards him the
manifold sense objects with nooses of greed. Such a person conquers all the
three worlds: kantakataksavisikha na tudanti yasya cittam na nirdahati
kopakrsanutapahi karsanti bhurivisayas ca na lobhapasair lokatrayam jayati
krtsnam idam sa dhirahnJ The same Bhartrhari asserts at still another place
that the dhiras, the people firm in their resolve, do not step away from
the righteous path, nyayyat pathah, unmindful of the fact whether those
versed in polity speak well or ill of them, whether Dame prosperity comes
to them or leaves them, whether they die that very day or in another aeon
Nothing can change their mind resolutely fixed on desired objects like
water flowing on a downward course: ka ipsitarthasthiraniscayam manah payas
ca nimnabhimukham pratipayet. For such people personal comfort or
discomfort have no meaning: manasvi karyarthi na ganayati duhkham na ca
sukham. These people whatever they undertake, they carry out relentlessly.
A reference may be made here to the classic episode of King Hariscandra
recorded in the Puranas. He was assigned the duty of collecting tax for the
cremation ground. He did not spare even his wife reduced to utmost penury
and made her part with a part of her sari when she had repaired to it to
say? Society and Culture final goodbye to her son. Rana Pratap of Mewar
having made up his mind not to surrender his freedom to the mighty emperor
Akbar wandered in the jungles with no food for himself and the members of
his family for days on end. He literally had to eat grass but kept his head
high. Such people are dhiras, the embodiment of the quality of dhairya and
have carved a niche for themselves in the annals of the world. If one can
maintain one's equanimity and is not too much perturbed by adversity or
financial troubles, one can find a way out of one's difficulties. For, with
equanimity the mind does not lose clarity and with clarity one can find a
way to solve one's problems however intractable they may be. There is
always light at the end of the tunnel, as goes the saying. But then one
must have the stamina to go up to the end and not get perished in the
tunnel itself. For, what are needed are patience, perseverance and strong
will which is all that the word dhairya connotes.
K Rajaram IRS 28525
On Wed, 28 May 2025 at 04:33, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]>
wrote:
> *Fear and Nervousness*
>
> Fear is one of the greatest obstacles to success. Whether it's fear of
> failure, change, or judgment, it can paralyze action. According to
> Chanakya, a fearful person can never fully utilize their potential or take
> the necessary risks that success often demands.
>
> *So, we have to *Cultivate courage by starting small and gradually facing
> your fears. Confidence builds with action.
>
> *N Jambunathan , Chennai " What you get by achieving your goals is not as
> important as what you become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a
> happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things "*
>
>
>
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