Bhagavad Gita · Karma YogaChapter 3, Shloka 36 (3.36)
Original Sanskrit · अर्जुनः
अर्जुन उवाच
अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः
अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः
॥ 3.36 ॥
atha kena prayukto'yaṃ pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ
anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balādiva niyojitaḥ
Translation
"Arjuna said: O Varshneya! Then, driven by what does a person commit sin even against their will, as if forced into it?"
Interpretation
The depth of the question. Anicchann api — even without wanting to; balād iva niyojitaḥ — as if someone had forced them into it. This is every human being's experience.
Shankaracharya: rājñā iva bhṛtyaḥ — as a king sets a servant to work — who is that "king" who sets a person to sin? Krishna's answer (3.37): tvaṃ taṃ vairiṇaṃ sarvānartha-karaṃ … śṛṇu — hear about that enemy, the cause of all harm.
Acharya Ramanuja: jñāna-yogāya pravṛttaḥ pūruṣaḥ svayaṃ viṣayān anubhavitum anicchann api — a person who has set out on jnana-yoga, though not wanting to enjoy sense objects, is driven by what to commit viṣayānubhava-rūpaṃ pāpam — the sin of indulging in sense objects?
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.