Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6: The Path of Meditation
Bhagavad Gita 6.44
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते ॥
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśo'pi saḥ | jijñāsurapi yogasya śabdabrahmātivartate ||
By that earlier practice the person is carried forward, even without willing it. Even one who only wishes to know about yoga goes beyond the mere words of scripture.
Modern context
Earlier practice has momentum of its own. It carries a person forward 'even without their willing it', the way an old habit or interest pulls us back again and again. And the verse goes further: even someone who only wants to know about yoga, who is merely curious, already goes beyond the person who follows the words of scripture by rote. Sincere curiosity is itself the beginning of the path.