सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि ।प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ॥
sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api |prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati ||
- सदृशम् · sadṛśam
- according to, in conformity with
- चेष्टते · ceṣṭate
- acts, behaves
- स्वस्याः · svasyāḥ
- of his own
- प्रकृतेः · prakṛteḥ
- nature
- ज्ञानवान् · jñānavān
- a person of knowledge
- अपि · api
- even
- यान्ति · yānti
- they go, follow
- भूतानि · bhūtāni
- beings
- निग्रहः · nigrahaḥ
- restraint, suppression
- किम् · kim
- what
- करिष्यति · kariṣyati
- will do, can accomplish
“Even a person of knowledge acts in conformity with his own nature. Beings follow their nature — what can mere suppression accomplish?”
— Original plain-language translation
A humbling realism: ingrained nature (svabhāva) shapes even the learned, and brute self-suppression fails. Transformation therefore works with nature — channeling it through right action — rather than by denial. This prepares the teaching on svadharma in verse 35.
— Reader's notes (original)