प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ॥ ३३ ॥
sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛterjñānavānapi .
prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati .. 33 ..
Read the commentary
Nature (prakriti) is the samskara (the latent self-reproductive impression of the past acts of dharma and a-dharma) manifesting itself at the commencement of the present birth. Even the man of knowledge acts according to his own nature; it needs no saying that an ignorant man acts according to his own nature. Thus all living beings follow their own nature. What shall coercion in the shape of prohibition avail? That is to say, to Me or to anybody else, nature is irresistible.
Scope for man’s personal exertion.
(Objection):—If every being acts according to its own nature only,—and there is none that has no nature of its own,—then, there being possibly no scope for personal exertion
(purushakâra), the Teaching (sastra) would be quite purposeless.
(Answer) :—The Lord replies as follows :