Arjuna said: O Varshneya! Then, by whom is this man impelled, who, though unwilling, engages in sin as if compelled by force?
Commentary: In the Yadu dynasty, there was a lineage named 'Vrishni'. Because Lord Shri Krishna took birth in this Vrishni lineage, one of His names is 'Varshneya'. In the previous verse, the Lord praised the observance of one's own dharma. Dharma pertains to 'varna' and 'kula' (lineage); therefore, Arjuna also addresses the Lord by the name of His lineage and asks the question. A thoughtful man does not desire to commit sin; because the result of sin is sorrow, and no being desires sorrow. Here, the meaning of the word 'unwilling' is the abandonment of the desire to commit sin, not the abandonment of the desire for enjoyment and accumulation. For the desire for enjoyment and accumulation is the very root of all sins; when it ceases to exist, sins simply do not occur. A thoughtful man does not wish to commit sin, yet due to the inner desire for worldly enjoyment and accumulation, he is unable to perform the dutiful actions that should be done and ends up committing sinful actions that should not be done. To indicate the intensity of 'unwilling', Arjuna uses the words 'as if compelled by force'. The meaning is that when a sinful tendency arises, the thoughtful man, knowing it to be sin, wishes to remain entirely aloof from it; yet still, he becomes so engaged in that sin as if someone is forcibly engaging him in it. This gives the impression that there is some powerful cause that engages one in sin. The root cause of indulgence in sins is 'kama', meaning the desire for worldly pleasure-enjoyment and accumulation. But due to lack of attention towards this cause, man does not realize who makes him commit sin. He thinks, 'I, knowing sin, wish to desist from it, but someone forcibly engages me in sin'; as Duryodhana said: "I know dharma, yet I have no inclination towards it; I know adharma, yet I have no disinclination from it. By some deity residing in my heart, I am directed as such, and thus I act." (Garga Samhita, Ashvamedha 50.36) This 'deity' spoken of by Duryodhana is essentially 'kama' (the desire for enjoyment and accumulation), because of which man, even knowing thoughtfully, is unable to observe dharma and abandon adharma. The words 'by whom impelled does he commit sin' also indicate the intensity of 'unwilling'. The meaning is that a thoughtful man himself does not wish to commit sin; someone else forcibly engages him in sin. Who is that other? This is Arjuna's question. The Lord has just explained in the thirty-fourth verse that attachment and aversion (which are subtle forms of desire and anger alone) are the great enemies of the seeker, meaning these two are the causes of sin. But because that was stated in a general manner, Arjuna could not grasp it. Therefore, he asks: By whom is man impelled to engage in sin, though unwilling and knowing better? The intent of Arjuna's question is this: (Considering from the thirty-first to the thirty-fifth verse) which of these causes—lack of faith, envy, wicked-mindedness, delusion, subservience to nature (one's own disposition), attachment-aversion, disinterest in one's own dharma and interest in another's dharma—is it, due to which man, though unwilling and knowing better, indulges in sin? Apart from these, due to which cause among God, destiny, age, circumstances, karma, bad company, society, customs, governmental laws, etc., does man indulge in sin?
Connection: Now, in the following verse, the Lord answers Arjuna's question.
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