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Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 18.59
यदहङ्कारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥ ५९ ॥
yad ahaṅkāram āśritya
na yotsya iti manyase
mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te
prakṛtis tvāṁ niyokṣyati
If you do not act according to My direction and do not fight, then you will be falsely directed. By your nature, you will have to be engaged in warfare.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
The Lord says that refusing His direction to fight would be mistaken; Arjuna’s nature would still lead him to warfare.
Prabhupāda explains that false ego made Arjuna fear sinful results and forget that the Supreme Lord was directing him.
Follow the Supreme Lord’s direction and the spiritual master’s order without hesitation, acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Your duty is to fight and even if you try to abandon, the modes will force you to do it
Examples of acting according to nature — Arjuna as a ksatriya has natural duty to fight
Refusal to fight was under false ego — because he was fearing that by killing his relatives he would incur sinful reactions
Forgetfulness of conditioned soul — Forget the relationship with Supreme Personality of Godhead and considering himself as the master of his actions
Conclusion — Unhesitatingly execute the order of Supreme Personality of Godhead – That will keep one safe under all circumstances
One on the platform of devotion should work under the order of Lord, fully depending on Him and being fully conscious of Him
One will thus be free from the control of the modes of material nature
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: bhakti, śaraṇāgati.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 18.59 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to bhakti & surrender?
Offer one act today with devotion.
Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.