Gita 03.33 – Our varna nature needs to be channelized, not repressed

Audio Link – https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-03-33-our-varna-nature-needs-to-be-channelized-not-repressed/

sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ
prakṛter jñānavān api
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati (Bg 3.33)

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?

Explanation:
sadṛśam ceṣṭate svasyāḥ: Each person endeavors according to their own nature,
prakṛteḥ jñānavān api: even the wise, in accordance with their nature.
prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni: All living beings follow their nature,
nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati: what will repression accomplish?

Kṛṣṇa now concludes His instructions on karma-yoga by offering some final insights in verses 31 to 35.

Verses 31 and 32 speak about the importance of faith and the consequences faced by those who lack it. Then, verse 33—the verse currently under discussion—emphasizes that karma-yoga is the best way to work, as we are all compelled to act according to our nature. We cannot repress our nature—sadṛśaṁ ceṣṭate svasyāḥ.

Even a knowledgeable person (jñānavān api) acts according to his own nature. Such a person understands, “I am not the body; I am the soul,” and that the soul is distinct from the body. The body’s urges, inclinations, and nature are ultimately unrelated to the soul itself. Still, that knowledge alone does not free the person from acting according to the body’s nature.

If even a knowledgeable person acts according to his nature, then what to speak of ordinary people? The general rule is that all living beings act according to their nature—prakṛtiṁ yānti bhūtāni. Therefore, what can repression accomplish—nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati?

This verse may, at first glance, appear to convey a message contrary to what Kṛṣṇa has been repeatedly emphasizing. He has consistently urged the control of the senses—to not let them wander unchecked. The overarching instruction has been one of self-discipline and restraint. And now, suddenly, Kṛṣṇa seems to be saying, “What can repression accomplish?”

A superficial reading of this verse may lead one to think, “What is the use of control?” However, we must understand that repression and control are two different things. Likewise, what Kṛṣṇa is referring to here is not the same as indulging in sense gratification. He is speaking about one’s fundamental bodily nature—not merely the urges for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, which typically drive the senses.

What is the difference between the two? The demands of the senses can and should be regulated, but the body’s inherent nature cannot be entirely given up. For example, the tongue may crave alcohol—such sensory demands can be completely renounced, and one will not die without them. In fact, life will become better and happier without such indulgence.

In contrast, if someone has an intellectual nature and is told to work as a businessman, that person simply cannot sustain it. It’s not merely a matter of willpower or determination. The person may try and may even manage to do it for a while, but the deep incompatibility will become a source of ongoing misery. Eventually, out of frustration, the person will gravitate back—one way or another—to the work of a brāhmaṇa.

Here, we are not referring to characteristics determined by birth, but to those determined by nature. For instance, if a vaiśya is told to study scripture, his mind will naturally drift toward business—he may start thinking, “How can I sell this book? How can I market this idea?” and so on. The point is that no one can renounce their inherent nature. Instead, we must learn to harmonize with it.

Vedic culture does not prescribe that a brāhmaṇa must act like a vaiśya. Rather, it encourages that a person with a brāhmaṇical nature—someone who is naturally intellectual—should engage that intelligence in accordance with dharma. The problem arises when intelligence is used either in negligence or in defiance of dharma. “Negligence of dharma” means using one’s intellect to pursue whatever one pleases, without concern for right or wrong. “Defiance of dharma” is even worse—it involves actively opposing dharma, trying to disprove its principles by asserting that God doesn’t exist, the soul doesn’t exist, and so on. Such misuse of intelligence is certainly undesirable.

The point that each of us must act according to our nature is well taken. This is how we can serve Kṛṣṇa sustainably throughout our lives. Attaining our transcendental nature as servants of Kṛṣṇa does not require repressing our material nature—whether intellectual, martial, mercantile, artisanal, or otherwise. Instead, it requires harmonizing that nature with our spiritual purpose.

What needs to be much more strictly regulated are the urges for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—especially those driven by lust, anger, greed, envy, and pride.

Immediately after this section, Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa what makes us do wrong and how we can avoid wrongdoing. This question would make no sense if nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati—“what can repression accomplish”—were a blanket license to do whatever we feel is our nature or whatever impulses drive us. If everyone simply acted on every impulse, there would be no material order in society, let alone spiritual progress. People might shoplift, men might harass women, and others, in fits of anger, might harm each other. Society would descend into complete chaos if everyone acted solely on impulse, taking nigrahaḥ kiṁ kariṣyati as permission to behave without restraint.

Here, Kṛṣṇa is speaking in a very specific context about acting according to our varna nature. In our social context, regardless of the family into which we are born—even if it belongs to a particular varna—our true varna is not determined by birth alone. Instead, we observe our nature, recognize the services or activities we can perform best, and strive to engage in those.

Of course, nowadays most people struggle just to secure any job, so finding a job that perfectly aligns with one’s nature may seem far-fetched. However, even within the job one has, it is possible to work according to one’s nature as much as circumstances allow.

For instance, in an educational institution, a person with a more brahminical nature may focus primarily on teaching and research. Someone with a kshatriya nature might take on administrative responsibilities within the institution. Meanwhile, another individual may concentrate on fundraising or managing the finances of the educational establishment.

The principle is that what material society today calls “job satisfaction” was essentially organized in Vedic culture by engaging individuals according to their varṇa. When people act in harmony with their nature, they naturally experience material satisfaction.

Material satisfaction is not eternal, but it helps keep one peaceful. Without it, a person often feels dissatisfied, alienated, uncomfortable, and restless. With such discontent and agitation, it becomes difficult to seriously pursue spiritual life, as one is constantly seeking some material change. However, when we are in a materially harmonious situation, practicing spiritual life becomes easier.

In conclusion, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna here that, as a kṣatriya, he should act according to his kṣatriya nature. Repressing that nature will accomplish nothing.

Thank you.