Shloka 18.60
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा |कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोपि तत् ||१८-६०||
svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā . kartuṃ necchasi yanmohātkariṣyasyavaśopi tat ||18-60||
Meaning
O Arjuna! Thy duty binds thee. From thine own nature has it arisen, and that which in thy delusion thou desire not to do, that very thing thou shalt do. Thou art helpless.
Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna drives the point home. Bound by your own karma born of your innate nature, the very thing you now refuse to do out of moha (delusion), you will end up doing anyway — avasha, helplessly, against your will.
This is both a warning and a strange comfort. The momentum of one's deep tendencies cannot simply be wished away; ignoring or suppressing them only means they erupt later beyond one's control. Far better, Krishna implies, to act knowingly and willingly than to be dragged along blindly.
Understanding the power of svabhava invites us to work with our nature consciously and devotionally, rather than be ruled by it unconsciously through delusion.
In daily life
What you refuse to do out of delusion, your own nature will compel you to do anyway, so act consciously.
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What does ‘निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma, in other chapters
- Verse 2.39Bridge the gap between knowing and being by taking your spiritual understanding into actual practice — theory becomes liberating only when it is lived.
- Verse 4.37Just as fire turns wood to ash, the fire of true knowledge burns away the binding power of all our actions.
- Verse 8.3The imperishable Brahman lives as your own deepest Self, and even action is its creative expression unfolding through you.
- Verse 13.22What you cling to shapes where you go — attachment to nature's qualities keeps the wheel of rebirth turning.
Swipe left for 18.61 · The Divine dwells in every heart, intimately guiding the whole play of life from within.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.60
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.60, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.60, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.60 mean?
O Arjuna! Thy duty binds thee. From thine own nature has it arisen, and that which in thy delusion thou desire not to do, that very thing thou shalt do. Thou art helpless. (Translation: Shri Purohit Swami, The Geeta: The Gospel of the Lord Shri Krishna (1935). Public domain.)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.60 for daily life?
What you refuse to do out of delusion, your own nature will compel you to do anyway, so act consciously.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.60 mean?
स्वभावजेन — born of thy own nature; कौन्तेय — O son of Kunti; निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा — bound by thy own action; कर्तुं न इच्छसि — thou wishest not to do; यत् मोहात् — that which from delusion.
Where does verse 18.60 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 60 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.61.