Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6, Verse 44

पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि स: |
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते || 44||

pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśho ’pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya śhabda-brahmātivartate

pūrva—past; abhyāsena—discipline; tena—by that; eva—certainly; hriyate—is attracted; hi—surely; avaśhaḥ—helplessly; api—although; saḥ—that person; jijñāsuḥ—inquisitive; api—even; yogasya—about yog; śhabda-brahma—fruitive portion of the Vedas; ativartate—transcends

purvabhyasena tenaiva hriyate hyavasho ’pi sah
jijnasur api yogasya shabda-brahmativartate

Translation

BG 6.44: Indeed, they feel drawn toward God, even against their will, on the strength of their past discipline. Such seekers naturally rise above the ritualistic principles of the scriptures.

Commentary

Once spiritual sentiments have sprouted, they cannot be wiped out. The soul with devotional sanskārs (tendencies and impressions) from the present and past lifetimes gets naturally inspired toward spirituality. Such an individual feels drawn toward God, and this pull is also referred to as “the call of God.” Based upon the past sanskārs the call of God sometimes becomes so strong that it is said, “The call of God is the strongest call in one’s life.” People who experience it reject the entire world and the advice of their friends and relatives to tread the path that draws their heart. That is how in history, great princes, noblemen, wealthy businesspersons, etc. renounced the comfort of their worldly position to become ascetics, yogis, sages, mystics, and swamis. And since their hunger was for God alone, they naturally rose above the ritualistic practices prescribed in the Vedas for material advancement.