Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 3: The Path of Action

Bhagavad Gita 3.36

atha kena prayukto'yaṃ pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ | anicchannapi vārṣṇeya balādiva niyojitaḥ ||

Then what is it, Krishna, that drives a person to commit sin, even against their will, as if compelled by force?

Modern context

This is one of the most honest questions in the Gita. We know what is right and do the opposite, and it feels as if something else were driving. Anyone who has broken a resolution within a day knows the experience. Arjuna does not excuse it or deny it. He asks what the force is. Naming a problem accurately is the first step toward dealing with it.