Shloka 33
Karma Yoga — Karma Yoga
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि । प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ॥ ३.३३ ॥
sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api | prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati || 3.33 ||
แม้ผู้มีญาณก็ยังประพฤติตามสภาวะ–ธรรมชาติของตนเอง; สรรพสัตว์ทั้งหลายย่อมดำเนินไปตามธรรมชาติ แล้วการข่มใจ/การยับยั้งเพียงอย่างเดียวจะทำอะไรได้เล่า?
Even a person of knowledge acts according to one’s own nature; beings follow nature. What will restraint (alone) accomplish?
Even the knowing person behaves in conformity with their own prakṛti; beings proceed according to prakṛti—what can repression accomplish?
Traditional renderings often warn against mere suppression of impulses; academic readings stress the descriptive claim about conditioned behavior (prakṛti) and the limits of external restraint without inner transformation.
FAQs
The verse notes that habits and dispositions shape behavior even in reflective people; lasting change typically requires working with tendencies rather than only suppressing them.
It presumes a prakṛti-based model of embodiment: the guṇas and prior impressions condition the embodied agent’s activity, even when knowledge is present.
It supports the chapter’s argument for disciplined action (karma-yoga) by explaining why mere withdrawal or forceful repression may fail.
Choose practices and routines that redirect tendencies (e.g., structured duties, mindful habits) rather than relying only on willpower and denial.