Purvabhyasena Tenaiva

The pull of past practice is so strong that it works even when the person is not trying. 'Avashah api' — even helplessly, even without deliberate effort, the yogi is drawn toward the spiritual path. It is like a compass needle that swings north no matter how many times you spin it. The samskara knows where it wants to go.

Then Krishna makes a striking claim. Even someone who is merely curious about yoga — not yet a practitioner, just a seeker — already surpasses the domain of Shabda-Brahman. Shabda-Brahman here refers to the Vedic rituals and ceremonial observances. Krishna is saying that genuine inner inquiry outranks outer religious performance.

This is a bold statement. It places sincerity of seeking above formal practice. A person who truly wants to understand yoga, even if they have not yet sat down to meditate, has already stepped beyond the realm of ritual.

'Shabda-Brahman' refers to the Vedas understood as ritual prescription — the yajnas, ceremonies, and formal observances. Krishna places the inner quest for yoga above these external practices. This theme recurs throughout the Gita: inner transformation matters more than outer form.

This shloka highlights yoga as an inward, cross-lifetime journey. The pull of past samskaras means the seeker does not need to be persuaded. The longing arises on its own — a sign that the work of previous lives is still alive.