यया स्वप्नं भयं शोकं विषादं मदमेव च | न विमुञ्चति दुर्मेधा धृतिः सा पार्थ तामसी ||
yayā svapnaṁ bhayaṁ śokaṁ viṣādaṁ madam eva ca na vimuñcati durmedhā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha tāmasī
Translation
That steadfastness by which a dull-witted person does not abandon sleep, fear, grief, despondency, and pride — O Arjuna, that steadfastness is tamasic.
Interpretation
Tamasic dhriti: the stubborn persistence with which the dull-witted (durmedha — of poor intelligence) hold onto their negative states — sleep (excessive, avoidance sleep), fear (refusing to face what frightens), grief (clinging to sorrow), despondency (depression as a habit), and arrogance (pride that refuses to learn). This is the 'stubbornness of the dark' — not genuine resolve but the inertia of tamas that cannot let go, cannot move, cannot grow. The tamasic person's 'commitment' is to their own limitation.