Bg. 3.36 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

अर्जुन उवाच अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः । अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः ॥ ३६ ॥

Verse text

arjuna uvāca atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ anicchann api vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ

Synonyms

arjunaḥ uvāca — Arjuna said ; atha — then ; kena — by what ; prayuktaḥ — impelled ; ayam — one ; pāpam — sins ; carati — does ; pūruṣaḥ — a man ; anicchan — without desiring ; api — although ; vārṣṇeya — O descendant of Vṛṣṇi ; balāt — by force ; iva — as if ; niyojitaḥ — engaged.

Translation

Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

36. Arjuna said: O descendent of the Vṛṣṇis, by what does man engage in sin, though unwilling, as if by force?

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

36. Arjuna said: By what does man engage in sin, though unwilling, as if by force?

Purport

A living entity, as part and parcel of the Supreme, is originally spiritual, pure, and free from all material contaminations. Therefore, by nature he is not subject to the sins of the material world. But when he is in contact with the material nature, he acts in many sinful ways without hesitation, and sometimes even against his will. As such, Arjuna’s question to Kṛṣṇa is very sanguine, as to the perverted nature of the living entities. Although the living entity sometimes does not want to act in sin, he is still forced to act. Sinful actions are not, however, impelled by the Supersoul within, but are due to another cause, as the Lord explains in the next verse.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Referring to verse 34 about rāga and dveṣa, in this verse Arjuna asks about the attachment to the objects of the senses such as enjoyment with others’ wives, even though it is forbidden by scripture. Though without desire to engage in sin because of knowledge of the rules and prohibitions of the scriptures (anicchan), by what influence (kena prayuktaḥ) does one engage in the act as if by force? This means that the desire for the object strongly arises under the influence of the object’s stimuli.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

In verse 34 the Lord indicated that desire (raga), such as speaking to others’ wives, is firmly fixed in the senses and mind. Arjuna now asks a question concerning this. “O Kṛṣṇa born in the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, inspired by what thing (kena prayuktaḥ), does the jīva commit sin? Though he does not want to do it (anicchan), knowing that it is forbidden by the scriptures, he does it as if by force (balād iva). The desire to engage in sin is produced in the dependent person by being subjected to the desire of an instigator. Who is the instigator? Is it the Lord or the jīva’s previous impressions (saṁskāra)? It cannot be the Lord who inspires a person to do sinful acts, since he is the merciful and only plays the role of the witness. Nor can it be impressions, since those are dull unconscious things.” Vārṣṇeya, meaning the descendent of Vṛṣṇi is formed, according to the rule śubhrādibhyaśceti ḍhak (Pāṇini 4.1.123). [Note: The rule states that the suffix “eya” is added to a list of words beginning with śubra , as well as a few other words, in order to mean “the descendent of ……”.]

Surrender Unto Me

"Even after I've decided to do the right thing, what is that that forces me time and time and time again, to act improperly?" And Krsna's answer is equally direct as Arjuna's question: