3.33
सदृशं चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवानपि ।
प्रकृतिं यान्ति भूतानि निग्रहः किं करिष्यति ॥
sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati
śrībhagavān (श्रीभगवान्) is speaking, and even the knower is put back under nature for a moment.
The verse
Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature; beings follow nature; what will restraint do?
नेपालीमा
ज्ञानी मानिस पनि आफ्नै स्वभावअनुसार चल्छ। प्राणीहरू प्रकृति पछ्याउँछन्, निग्रहले के गर्ला।
Where it sits
3.29 told the knower not to unsettle the dull, and this verse says why the unsettling would fail: beings act from nature. 3.34 names the two forces inside that nature which he must not come under, and 3.35 sets his own dharma above a borrowed one.
Split: सदृशम् + चेष्टते + स्वस्याः + प्रकृतेः + ज्ञानवान् + अपि + प्रकृतिम् + यान्ति + भूतानि + निग्रहः + किम् + करिष्यति
sadṛśam + ceṣṭate + svasyāḥ + prakṛteḥ + jñānavān + api + prakṛtim + yānti + bhūtāni + nigrahaḥ + kim + kariṣyati
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| सदृशम् | sadṛśam | accusative, adverbial | in accordance, in the likeness. |
| चेष्टते | ceṣṭate | present, 3rd singular, middle | he acts, he strives. |
| स्वस्याः | svasyāḥ | genitive feminine | of his own. |
| प्रकृतेः | prakṛteḥ | genitive | of nature. |
| ज्ञानवान् | jñānavān | nominative | one who has knowledge. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| प्रकृतिम् | prakṛtim | accusative | nature. |
| यान्ति | yānti | present, 3rd plural | they go, they follow. |
| भूतानि | bhūtāni | nominative plural | beings. |
| निग्रहः | nigrahaḥ | nominative | restraint, holding back. |
| किम् | kim | nominative or accusative | what. |
| करिष्यति | kariṣyati | future, 3rd singular | it will do. |
The phrases
सदृशम् चेष्टते स्वस्याः प्रकृतेः ज्ञानवान् अपि sadṛśaṃ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ prakṛteḥ jñānavān api is the limit on knowledge as a brake. Even the man of knowledge acts in the likeness of his own nature. प्रकृतेः + ज्ञानवान् prakṛteḥ + jñānavān is prakṛter jñānavān (प्रकृतेर्ज्ञानवान्). ज्ञानवान् + अपि jñānavān + api is jñānavān api (ज्ञानवानपि).
प्रकृतिम् यान्ति भूतानि prakṛtiṃ yānti bhūtāni widens it from the knower to beings. Beings follow nature.
निग्रहः किम् करिष्यति nigrahaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati is the question the two statements force. What will restraint do? The subject is nigrahaḥ (निग्रहः). Holding-back is not going to cancel the nature they move by.
Sanskrit in this line
jñānavān (ज्ञानवान्) is the nominative of a stem in --vant (वन्त्), "possessing knowledge." The nominative lengthens the vowel and adds n (न्): jñānavān (ज्ञानवान्). You met this shape on vīryavān (वीर्यवान्) in 1.5. api (अपि) sits on that nominative: even he. The knowledge is real, and the verse still sends him with his nature.
Say it back
Who still acts like his nature, and the question about restraint. If the answer you supply is a method of restraint, you have not stayed with the verse. The verse asks what restraint will do, and does not give it a victory.