sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati
"Even a wise person acts according to their own nature. All beings follow their nature—what can repression accomplish?"
What This Means:
Everyone—even the wise—acts according to their nature. It's unavoidable. All creatures follow their inborn tendencies. Trying to suppress your nature by force doesn't work; it just creates internal conflict.
Going Deeper:
This is psychologically astute. 'Prakriti' here means individual nature, temperament, tendencies formed by past karma and constitution. Even the jnani (wise one) operates through their prakriti. Krishna isn't endorsing indulgence—he's stating a fact: nature can't be suppressed, only transformed. 'Nigraha' (forceful repression) is futile and counterproductive.
How To Apply This:
Stop fighting your basic nature and start working with it. If you're naturally active, don't try to become a meditating hermit. If you're naturally contemplative, don't force yourself into constant activity. Transform your nature through practice, don't crush it through willpower. Repression backfires.
Key Sanskrit Terms: