Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 33

सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि । प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति

sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛterjñānavānapi | prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati

Translation

Even the man of knowledge acts in conformity with his own nature; (all) beings follow (their) nature; what shall coercion avail?

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

sadṛśam

conformably

ceṣṭate

behaves

svasyāḥ

(of) his own

prakṛteḥ

to nature

jñānavān

the wise man

api

even

prakṛtim

to nature

yānti

go

bhūtāni

creatures

nigrahaḥ

restraint

kim

what

kariṣyati

will do

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Nature (prakṛti) is the saṃskāra (the latent self-reproductive impression of the past acts of dharma and adharma) 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. What shall coercion in the shape of prohibition avail? Nature is irresistible.