18.60 svabhAvajEna kaunthEya

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Chapter 18

<< Chapter 18 Verse 59

SlOkam – Original

svabhAvajEna kaunthEya nibadhdha: svEna karmaNA |
karthum nEchchasi yanmOhAth karishyasyavaSO’pi thath ||

word-by-word meaning

kaunthEya – Oh son of kunthI!
svabhAvajEna – caused by your previous karma
svEna karmaNA – valour which is your act
nibadhdha: – being bound
avaSa: – being controlled by your body
yath mOhAth karthum na ichchasi thath – the war you are not willing to fight due to ignorance
karishyasi api – you will do it (due to other reasons, even if you forego my order)

Simple Translation

Oh son of kunthI! You are going to fight the war which you are not willing to fight due to ignorance; being bound by the valour which is your act which is caused by your previous karma, and being controlled by your body, you will do it (due to other reasons, even if you forego my order).

Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam

‘Bound (as you are) Kaunteya! by your own
nature-born act, despite, in your folly, not wishing to do the act, you will yet do it even against your will.’

Nature-born act: It is the ‘natural tendency of the Kshatriya to be heroically predisposed. In case, you desire [to] not fight, out of some misnotion, this heroic nature of yours shall however exercise such power over you, as to compel you to plunge into fight even against your own will; when you will find you are unable to withstand the sting of vituperation by others.

Moha = misnotion = ignorance.

Indeed, the totality of creatures are ordered forth by Me, the Lord of all, to follow the ways of matter, in the manner determined by past Karma:

>> Chapter 18 Verse 61

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