Arjuna inquired a very intelligent question, that:
- atha kena prayukto 'yaṁ
- pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ
- anicchann api vārṣṇeya
- balād iva niyojitaḥ
- (BG 3.36)
"My dear Kṛṣṇa, what is that power which forces us to commit sinful activities? I do not like." Sometimes . . . just like the vivid example: a thief. A thief knows that if he commits theft he will be punished by the state law. He has heard it from the lawyers, from friend, and he has heard it from the scripture. No religious scripture will say that "You go on stealing." No. Either it is Christian religion or Hindu religion, no religion will tell you that "You become a thief, you become a rogue, you become a sinful . . ." No. So scripture says that you don't become a thief. And the law says also that you don't become a thief. He has heard it. And he's seen it also. What is that? That a man who has stolen some property, others', he's arrested. The police is taking him to the custody; he's punished.
So a thief, he knows that stealing is bad. He has seen it also that a thief is punished. Still he commits theft. Why? This is the question. This is the question, that atha kena prayukto 'yaṁ pāpaṁ carati pūruṣaḥ (BG 3.36). How a man is forced to commit sinful activities? Kena. What is that force which influences him that, "You do it. You must"? You are doing. Sometimes our conscience bids, "No, no. Don't do it." But we forcibly do it. So what is that force? Very intelligent question.