Chapter XVIII · Śloka 59
यदहंकारमाश्रित्य न योत्स्य इति मन्यसे ।
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥
मिथ्यैष व्यवसायस्ते प्रकृतिस्त्वां नियोक्ष्यति ॥
yad ahaṃkāram āśritya na yotsya iti manyase |
mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṃ niyokṣyati ||
mithyaiṣa vyavasāyas te prakṛtis tvāṃ niyokṣyati ||
If, relying on egoism, you think 'I will not fight,' this resolve of yours is vain — your own nature will compel you.
Arjuna's nature as a warrior (kṣatriya) is not something he can simply set aside by a willful decision. Prakriti — one's own formed character — is a more powerful driver than a momentary resolution born of false sentiment.