1-9: KY is better than JY

10-16: If you are not qualified even for KY then practice KK

17-24: If you are qualified for JY, still practice KY to set example

25-29: KY-KK difference

30-35: How KY elevates

36-43: Overcome lust, the main obstacle on the path of KY

Bg 3.33

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ
prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

Word for word: 

sadṛśam — accordingly; ceṣṭate — tries; svasyāḥ — by his own; prakṛteḥ — modes of nature; jñāna–vān — learned; api — although; prakṛtim — nature; yānti — undergo; bhūtāni — all living entities; nigrahaḥ — repression; kim — what; kariṣyati — can do.

Translation: 

Even a man of knowledge acts according to his own nature, for everyone follows the nature he has acquired from the three modes. What can repression accomplish?

(some organization in India has taken wrong meaning of this verse and they say that we can do as much sense gratification as we want)

 

So now we are talking about how KY elevates in this 5th section in 30-35.

So mayi sarvāṇi karmāṇi is 30th verse which says that offer fruits of your work to ME, earlier Karma Yoga was just be detached from work, but now it is  

not only detach from work but also focus on Supreme Lord, offer fruit of work to Supreme Lord then one become liberated, then Krishna says have faith, if one is having faith then he will be liberated else all effort will be lost , 

sarva-jñāna-vimūḍhāṁs tān
viddhi naṣṭān acetasaḥ

Now Krishna will continue the theme by talking about dovetailing one’s nature and doing one’s prescribed duty.

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ, so svasyāḥ is one’s own, sadṛśaṁ means accordingly, ceṣṭate means to act, so everyone will act according to one’s nature, prakṛter who are even jñānavān api.

prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati

prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni, means all living entity will act according to one’s nature.

nigrahaḥ, means repression

kiṁ kariṣyati, what will repression accomplish.

 

So this seems to be somewhat confusing verse in BG as generally if we have wrong desire we think that we have to suppress it but here Krishna is saying what repression will accomplish, nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati. Everybody will act according to one’s nature, sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ. And He is saying Jayana will not help one to curb one’s nature, one will act according to one’s nature.

What does Shri Krishna means by Prakriti, understanding that is very important, Prakriti here it is not referred as Kam, Krodha, Lobha, Moha & Matarya, by Prakriti He means our propensity with four vernas, Brahmana, Vasya, Kshatriya, sudra that cannot be repressioned.

In vedic philosophy there are two kinds of urges comes from the contact of the soul with the body, so some urges are to be rejected and some urges are to be dovetailed. So understanding the difference is very important, if one had to practice spiritual life properly.

So there is Prakriti and there is Vasana.

Prakriti is material nature and vasana is immoral desire

  • Prakriti: Material nature – innate to our psychophysical nature & Harmonizable with dharma
  • Vasana: Material desire – superficial to our psychophysical nature & Not harmonizable with dharma

 

What does it mean? 

For a Brahmana a person who is intellectually orientated for that person to act intellectually is innate is natural, it is not innate to the soul but it is innate to the soul when that soul is in a particular body which has a particular way of functioning so that in anyway is not sinful in itself.

On the other hand Vasana is generated by anarthas. 

So the Brahmana tendency or Kshetriya tendency is not generated by anarthas (Kama, Krodha, Lova…) that is generated by contact of the soul with the body and that is something which is ment to be dovetailed it is not meant to be suppressed or rejected. Now of course anyone from a Brahmana to a Sudra to an outcast they can get infected by Kama, Krodha, Lova etc and when they are infected by these anarthas they also develop Vasanas. And they have to decide on those Vasanas how to deal with them. So different varan they all have to regulate but the regulation level and regulation methods may be different. For example generally speaking a sudhras is considered low as they have less sense control. So it is not that a person is condemende. If a sudra has to live like Brahmana there could be challenge. A Brahmana generally lives a confortable life where he gets charity and he just teaches but a brahmana has to live a life of cleanliness and purity, if a sudhra has to live a life of brhamana than it will be miserable because of physco-physical nature is just not suited, here we are not talking about Brahmana by birth but by qualities, anyone can be elevated by practicing the duty of Varnashram and other way of elevation is by practicing devotional service. Varna is not by birth but by action, by practice of Bhakti the progress can be rapid. A sudhra can become a guru also if he practice KC.  Kiba Vipra Kiba Nyasi Sudra Kene Taya, Jei Krishna Tattva Vetta Sei Guru Haya. 

Varna system is for gradual progress but Bhaksti is entirely different but practicing bhakti a fast track progress is possible.

So there are two significant points here first is the inner understanding and second is the outer position so what this verse is saying both are possible for Sudra, just because a person is bron sudra it doesn’t mean he cannot get spiritual understanding, he can and he can go to the level of a guru also.

So the point here is varnashram system is based on the principle of gradual progression and if somebody practices devotion that is entirely different. Then the person get rapid elevation.

So if some one is sudra after becoming devotees he may give up lower nature in terms if anrthas if they have but not necessaraily give up his ocupational duties.

So here what Kirshan is saying even if someone becomes Gayan Van he will act as per nature, a nature is not refered here by what he is impelled by lust anger, greed etc. it is referring to the Varnashram nature, so one will act according to that.

Srila Prabhupada talks about how a vadic scripture talks about regulating ourselves

Sometimes devotees think that by doing something which is against our nature we prove our surrender to Krishna but this is not true, Krishna doesn’t want us miserable. Our current nature is not our eternal nature. 

None of us know what is our varna (by work) we don’t work as per our birth varna. Now a days most of the time people are born in some varna and does some other work, by this way we will not be able to find our Varna, we have to go through individual self-discovery.

Our self discovery is soul but what is my physical nature, knowing that will help us in serving Krishna in the best way – it will be revealed by its own we need not have to put extra effort for this.

Immediately after this verse in