Every being acts in a way that befits, that conforms to, its own nature. 'Nature' here means the disposition formed by merit, demerit and the rest done in the past, made manifest at the start of the present birth. Conformably to it every creature, even one who has knowledge, acts; how much more the fool. Therefore beings, living creatures, follow their nature. What will restraint, in the form of prohibition, do, Mine or anyone's? If every creature acts only in conformity with its own nature, and no one is without a nature, then, since there would be no scope for human effort and scripture would become purposeless, this is said.

Scriptures declare that the self's own nature, set apart from matter, is of such a kind, and that this very thing is ever to be dwelt upon. Yet even a man of knowledge behaves, among the objects that pertain to matter, in conformity with the earlier impression of his own matter-nature. Why? Beings, the creatures joined with insentient matter, go to their nature, go to the very impression set going from beginningless time; those beings follow their impression. What will the restraint imposed by scripture do? The Lord states the manner of the following on of nature.

This is a brief sub-gloss. For a fuller reading of this verse, see Madhusūdana, Śaṅkara, or Rāmānuja above.

If that is so, then why do people not follow your teaching? To this Krishna says, with 'in keeping with his own nature'. 'Nature' (prakriti) here is the formative tendency carried over from before.