Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 59

Chapter 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

यदहंकारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥

Transliteration

yadahaṃkāramāśritya na yotsya iti manyase .
mithyaiṣa vyavasāyaste prakṛtistvāṃ niyokṣyati ॥

Meaning

If, relying on ego, you think, 'I will not fight', your resolve is vain; your own nature will compel you.

Word meanings

यत् – if, that which
अहंकारम् – ego
आश्रित्य – relying on
न योत्स्ये – I will not fight
इति – thus
मन्यसे – you think
मिथ्या – vain, false
एषः – this
व्यवसायः – resolve
ते – your
प्रकृतिः – nature, your kshatriya disposition
त्वाम् – you
नियोक्ष्यति – will compel, will engage

Anvaya (word order)

यत् अहंकारम् आश्रित्य ‘न योत्स्ये’ इति मन्यसे, एषः ते व्यवसायः मिथ्या; प्रकृतिः त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ।

Explanation

This verse reveals a deep psychological truth about the power of one's nature. In Chapter 2 (2.9) Arjuna had declared plainly, na yotsye — 'I will not fight.' Krishna now quotes those very words and says that this resolve is mithya — hollow, vain — because it rests on ego, not on true discernment.

Krishna's reasoning is: prakritis tvam niyokshyati — your nature will compel you to fight. Arjuna's nature is that of a kshatriya — valour, vigour, resistance to injustice (18.43). This nature has been shaped by impressions across many lives. A decision taken in a moment of emotional turmoil cannot change so deep a nature. When he sees enemies oppressing his brothers and his people, or when someone taunts him as a coward, his kshatriya nature will force him to take up arms.

There is a subtle point here. Arjuna's decision not to fight looked outwardly like renunciation and compassion, yet Krishna calls it ego. Why? Because it carried the sense, 'I am the killer; I will destroy my kinsmen; I will incur sin' — and that is precisely the ego of doership. He was also relying on his own limited reasoning instead of the Lord's guidance.

Shankara explains that 'nature' here means the kshatriya disposition, which will forcibly drive Arjuna into battle. The verse teaches that decisions made against one's nature, out of mere emotion or ego, do not last. Wisdom lies in recognising one's nature and directing it towards dharma, not in fighting against it.

Context

In the previous verse Krishna warned that refusing his counsel out of ego would bring ruin. This verse says that the ego-based resolve 'I will not fight' is futile. The next verse (18.60) makes the same point more explicit: bound by his own nature, Arjuna will do it even against his will.

Life lesson

Decisions made in emotional turmoil that go against your nature and duty rarely last. Instead of fighting your nature, direct it rightly. What looks like renunciation is sometimes ego or fear underneath — examine this honestly.

Key terms

Na yotsye: 'I will not fight' — Arjuna's earlier resolve (2.9)
Vyavasaya: Resolve, determination
Mithya: Vain, false
Prakriti: One's nature, innate disposition