Bg. 18.60

BG 18.60

Devanagari

स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्ध: स्वेन कर्मणा । कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोऽपि तत् ॥ ६० ॥

Verse text

svabhāva-jena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā kartuṁ necchasi yan mohāt kariṣyasy avaśo ’pi tat

Synonyms

svabhāva-jena born of your own nature ; kaunteya O son of Kuntī ; nibaddhaḥ conditioned ; svena by your own ; karmaṇā activities ; kartum to do ; na not ; icchasi you like ; yat that which ; mohāt by illusion ; kariṣyasi you will do ; avaśaḥ involuntarily ; api even ; tat that.

Translation

Under illusion you are now declining to act according to My direction. But, compelled by the work born of your own nature, you will act all the same, O son of Kuntī.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

60. Being bound by actions arising from your nature, helplessly, you will do what you do not want to do out of bewilderment.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

60. Even if you do not want to fight out of ignorance, you will do it anyway, against your own will, as you are bound by actions arising from your nature.

Purport

If one refuses to act under the direction of the Supreme Lord, then he is compelled to act by the modes in which he is situated. Everyone is under the spell of a particular combination of the modes of nature and is acting in that way. But anyone who voluntarily engages himself under the direction of the Supreme Lord becomes glorious.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Here the Lord expands the meaning of what he has just said. You are fettered by your actions arising from previous life impressions that give you qualities of the kṣatriya (svabhāva-jena).

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

The Lord elaborates on this point. If you, out of ignorance (mohāt), do not desire to fight, even though it is My order, being bound by your actions as kṣatriya (svena) which arises from your impressions (svabhāvajena karmaṇā), which is manifest by My material energy, you will do it anyway, against your will (avaśaḥ).

Surrender Unto Me

Krsna is preaching to all living entities to surrender to Him for their own interest. Now, after describing how to come to the Brahman platform and then engage in devotional service, the next section describes the Supersoul platform. [G. SURRENDER TO THE SUPERSOUL (18. 61‑63) The Supreme Lord is in everyone's heart, therefore, surrender to Him and attain His eternal abode. This is the most confidential knowledge, and Arjuna should deliberate on it before acting.]