Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 3 › Verse 33
Bhagavad Gītā 3.33: Everyone has a nature
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि ।
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ॥
sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛterjñānavānapi
prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Even the wise act in keeping with their own nature; beings follow nature; what can repression accomplish? The point is not fatalism: one cannot simply suppress one’s makeup, but one can refuse to be ruled by the likes and dislikes that ride on it, as the next verse explains.
For children
Krishna says: “Everyone has their own nature, even wise people. You can’t just force yourself to be someone else.”
Kṛṣṇa explains why some do not follow the teaching (3.32): nature is strong.
Word by word
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः — Even a wise person acts
- sadṛśam: in keeping with
- ceṣṭate: acts
- svasyāḥ: one’s own
प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि — according to their own nature
- prakṛti: nature
- jñānavat: wise, knowing
- api: even
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि — all beings follow their nature
- yānti: follow, go
- bhūta: being
निग्रहः किं करिष्यति — what will forcing do?
- nigraha: forcing, repression
- kariṣyati: will do
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.