Shloka 16
Govardhana-pūjā: Kṛṣṇa Redirects Indra-yajña to Worship of Govardhana, Cows, and Brāhmaṇas
स्वभावतन्त्रो हि जन: स्वभावमनुवर्तते । स्वभावस्थमिदं सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् ॥ १६ ॥
svabhāva-tantro hi janaḥ svabhāvam anuvartate svabhāva-stham idaṁ sarvaṁ sa-devāsura-mānuṣam
Setiap insan berada di bawah kendali sifatnya sendiri, maka dia mengikuti sifat itu. Seluruh alam semesta—dewa, asura dan manusia—berdiri di atas sifat terkondisi makhluk hidup.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here elaborates upon the argument given in the previous verse. Since everything depends on svabhāva, or one’s conditioned nature, why bother worshiping God or the demigods? This argument would be sublime if svabhāva, or conditioned nature, were all-powerful. But unfortunately it is not. There is a supreme controller and we must worship Him, as Lord Kṛṣṇa will emphatically reveal in this chapter of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. For now, however, He is content to tease His relatives.
FAQs
This verse states that beings act under the control of their inherent nature—everyone, from devas to humans—tends to follow their own disposition.
In the Govardhana-līlā narrative, Kṛṣṇa uses clear reasoning to guide the Vraja community away from fear-based, ritualistic dependence and toward a grounded understanding of how the world functions—by nature—so their devotion can be directed properly.
Recognize your conditioning and tendencies, then consciously align your habits with dharma and bhakti—transforming “nature-driven” impulses into steady, devotional character.