Shloka

स्वभावजेन कौन्तेय निबद्धः स्वेन कर्मणा |
कर्तुं नेच्छसि यन्मोहात्करिष्यस्यवशोपि तत् ||१८-६०||

Transliteration

svabhāvajena kaunteya nibaddhaḥ svena karmaṇā .
kartuṃ necchasi yanmohātkariṣyasyavaśopi tat ||18-60||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

18.60. O son of Kunti ! Being bound fully by your own duty, born of your own nature, and also being [hence] not independent, you would perform what you do not wish to perform, because of your-delusion.

Shri Purohit Swami

18.60 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.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

18.41-60 Brahmana - etc. upto avasopitat. Surely the intrinsic nature of the Brahmanas etc., does not voilate what has been difined (above) by way of classifying their duties. Therefore, as far as you are concerned, you have the intrinsic ality of the Ksatriya (warrior), and your nature i.e., intrinsic ality, does, without fail, assume the part of the inciter of yourself, even though you don’t like it. For, a person who acts simply being incited by that (natural condition), there is the strong bondage of the merit or demerit. Therefore, perform actions following the means of correct knowledge, taught by Me. In that case, the bondage would disappear. The intention of the principal sentence (statement of the entire passage under study) is to help to get this idea. The meaning of the subordinate sentences (statements) is evident.

Briefly (verse 50) : in short. Knowledge : i.e. the one which has been explained earlier. Nistha conveys, avoiding verbal jugglary, the meaning ‘what has been determined’. He who is endowed with intellect totally pure etc. : All this has been almost explained already. Hence, no more trouble is taken [to comment upon it].

Sri Ramanuja

18.60 For, heroism is the duty of a Ksatriya born of his nature. Impelled by your own duty of heroism born of your own nature, you will lose self-control when you get the taunts of your enemies. Unable to suffer it, you will be compelled to engage them in battle, which, now, out of delusion and ignorance, you do not desire to do.

All beings have been ordained by Me to follow their Prakrti acired by their previous Karmas. Listen about it:

Sri Shankaracharya

18.60 And because of nibaddhah, being securely bound; svena, by your own; karmana, duty; svabhavajena, born of nature [Svabhava means those tendencies which are created by good bad actions performed in previous births, and which become the cause of performance of duties, renunciation, experience of happiness, sorrow, etc. in the present birth.-S.]-herosim etc. as stated (in 43); O son of Kunti, you avasah, being helpless, under another’s control; karisyasi api, will verily do; tat, that duty; yat, which duty; you na, do not; icchasi, wish; kartum, to do; mohat, owing to indiscrimination. For,

Swami Adidevananda

18.60 O Arjuna, bound by your own duty born out of your own inner disposition, and having no control over your own will, you will be compelled to do that very thing which you now desire not to do through delusion.

Swami Gambirananda

18.60 Being bound by your own duty born of nature, O son of Kunti, you, being helpless, will verily do that which you do not wish to do owing to indiscrimination.

Swami Sivananda

18.60 O Arjuna, bound by thy own Karma (action) born of thy own nature, that which from delusion thou wishest not to do, even that thou shalt do helplessly.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

18.60 स्वभावजेन born of (thy) own nature? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti? निबद्धः bound? स्वेन (thy) own? कर्मणा by action? कर्तुम् to do? न not? इच्छसि (thou) wishest? यत् which? मोहात् from delusion? करिष्यसि (thou) shalt do? अवशः helpless? अपि also? तत् that.Commentary Thou art endowed? O Arjuna? with martial alities? prowess? valour? skill? etc. Thou art? therefore? bound by these innate alities. Thou wilt be forced to fight by thy own nature. Nature will constrain thee to fight? much against thy will.