Bhagavad-gītā 3.33
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि। प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति।।3.33।।
sadṛiśhaṁ cheṣhṭate svasyāḥ prakṛiter jñānavān api prakṛitiṁ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣhyati
Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature: beings follow nature: what can restraint do?
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| sadṛiśham | accordingly |
| cheṣhṭate | act |
| svasyāḥ | by their own |
| prakṛiteḥ | modes of nature |
| jñāna-vān | the wise |
| api | even |
| prakṛitim | nature |
| yānti | follow |
| bhūtāni | all living beings |
| nigrahaḥ | repression |
| kim | what |
| kariṣhyati | will do |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through sadṛiśham (accordingly), prakṛitim (nature), and kariṣhyati (will do). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to work offered without possessiveness. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 3.33.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Distinguish action, duty, sacrifice, example, desire and attachment without treating karma-yoga as inactivity.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Even a wise man acts in accordance with his own nature
- 2
beings follow nature
- 3
what can restraint do?
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture disciplined action.
Link
Use the line starts: sadṛiśhaṁ cheṣhṭate / prakṛitiṁ yānti.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.33, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 3.33 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.33 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.33 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.33, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition