यदहङ्कारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥
yad ahaṅkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase |mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṃ niyokṣyati ||
- यत् · yat
- which (resolve)
- आश्रित्य · āśritya
- resorting to
- न · na
- not
- योत्स्ये · yotsye
- I will fight
- इति · iti
- thus
- मन्यसे · manyase
- you think
- मिथ्या · mithyā
- vain, false
- एषः · eṣaḥ
- this
- व्यवसायः · vyavasāyaḥ
- resolve
- ते · te
- your
- प्रकृतिः · prakṛtiḥ
- nature
- त्वाम् · tvām
- you
- नियोक्ष्यति · niyokṣyati
- will compel
“If, resorting to ego, you think 'I will not fight' — vain is this resolve of yours; your nature will compel you.”
— Original plain-language translation
Krishna exposes the irony: refusing to fight from ego is itself ego, and a warrior's nature will override the refusal. Nature (prakṛti) drives the unwilling as surely as duty guides the willing. Better to act consciously with God than be dragged by temperament.
— Reader's notes (original)