Bhagavad Gita 3.36
arjuna uvāca
atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ
pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ
anicchann api vārṣṇeya
balād iva niyojitaḥ
“Arjuna said: What is this force that drives us so,
Compelling us toward sin and woe?
Even unwilling, we’re drawn astray,
As if seized by power, beyond our sway.”
My merciful Lord, many are the moments in my life when I am forced to acknowledge that there is some force beyond me—mighty and malevolent—that takes control of my life. It impels me to act in ways that are not just different from, but also often utterly contradictory to, the values that I hold sacred. There are times when I act as if I don’t care for you—for your existence, your will, your pleasure.
Even if I deny the existence and prominence of your divinity, I cannot deny the existence and malevolence of this destructive force. Indeed, almost every day, and sometimes many times within a single day, my own actions serve as evidence of the presence and power of this mighty enemy. Please, O Lord, bless me so that I can become more conscious of this invisible danger. Let me be driven, out of necessity for survival and self-protection, to become ever more conscious of you—who alone are my ultimate protector from this inner danger.
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03.36 Arjuna said: O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, by what is one impelled to sinful acts, even unwillingly, as if engaged by force?
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