Bhagavad-gītā 3.36
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अर्जुन उवाच अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः। अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः।।3.36।।
arjuna uvācha atha kena prayukto ’yaṁ pāpaṁ charati pūruṣhaḥ anichchhann api vārṣhṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ
But by what impelled does man commit sin, though against his wishes, O Vârshneya, constrained as it were, by force?
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| arjunaḥ uvācha | Arjun said |
| atha | then |
| kena | by what |
| prayuktaḥ | impelled |
| ayam | one |
| pāpam | sins |
| charati | commit |
| pūruṣhaḥ | a person |
| anichchhan | unwillingly |
| api | even |
| vārṣhṇeya | he who belongs to the Vrishni clan, Shree Krishna |
| balāt | by force |
| iva | as if |
| niyojitaḥ | engaged |
Keep the verse in view while connecting arjunaḥ uvācha (Arjun said), pūruṣhaḥ (a person), and niyojitaḥ (engaged). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to work offered without possessiveness. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 3.36.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Distinguish action, duty, sacrifice, example, desire and attachment without treating karma-yoga as inactivity.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
But by what impelled does man commit sin, though against his wishes, O Vârshneya, constrained as it were, by force?
- 2
arjunaḥ uvācha: Arjun said
- 3
pūruṣhaḥ: a person
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.36, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 3.36 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.36 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.36, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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