3.36
अर्जुन उवाच
अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः ।
अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः ॥
arjuna uvāca
atha kena prayukto 'yaṃ pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ
anicchann api vārṣṇeya balād iva niyojitaḥ
Arjuna (अर्जुन) is speaking, and atha (अथ) marks a new question after the teaching about his own dharma.
The verse
Arjuna (अर्जुन) said: Driven by what does a person do evil even without wanting to, descendant of Vṛṣṇi (वृष्णि), as if compelled by force?
नेपालीमा
अर्जुनले भने, हे वृष्णिका वंशज, मानिस नचाहँदा पनि बलले बाध्य पारिएझैँ केको प्रेरणाले पाप गर्छ?
Where it sits
He has been told to do his own dharma and not to come under attachment and hatred, and he asks what the compulsion is when a person does wrong anyway. The answer begins at 3.37, one enemy with two names.
Split: अथ + केन + प्रयुक्तः + अयम् + पापम् + चरति + पूरुषः + अनिच्छन् + अपि + वार्ष्णेय + बलात् + इव + नियोजितः
atha + kena + prayuktaḥ + ayam + pāpam + carati + pūruṣaḥ + anicchan + api + vārṣṇeya + balāt + iva + niyojitaḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| अथ | atha | indeclinable | now. |
| केन | kena | instrumental of kim (किम्) | by what. |
| प्रयुक्तः | prayuktaḥ | nominative | driven, impelled. |
| अयम् | ayam | nominative | this. |
| पापम् | pāpam | accusative | evil. |
| चरति | carati | present, 3rd singular | he does, he walks. |
| पूरुषः | pūruṣaḥ | nominative | a person. Long first vowel, as in 3.19. |
| अनिच्छन् | anicchan | present participle, nominative | not wanting. |
| अपि | api | indeclinable | even. |
| वार्ष्णेय | vārṣṇeya | vocative | descendant of Vṛṣṇi (वृष्णि). Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण). |
| बलात् | balāt | ablative | by force. |
| इव | iva | indeclinable | as if. |
| नियोजितः | niyojitaḥ | nominative | yoked, compelled. |
The phrases
अथ केन प्रयुक्तः अयम् पापम् चरति पूरुषः atha kena prayuktaḥ ayam pāpaṃ carati pūruṣaḥ is the question. Driven by what does this person do evil? प्रयुक्तः + अयम् prayuktaḥ + ayam is prayukto 'yam (प्रयुक्तोऽयम्).
अनिच्छन् अपि वार्ष्णेय anicchan api vārṣṇeya keeps the person from being a willing villain. Even while not wanting to. The participle is nominative, agreeing with pūruṣaḥ (पूरुषः). anicchan (अनिच्छन्) before the vowel doubles its n (न्) in the writing: anicchann api (अनिच्छन्नपि).
बलात् इव नियोजितः balād iva niyojitaḥ is the picture he offers for the compulsion. As if yoked by force. balāt (बलात्) before the vowel is balād (बलाद्).
Sanskrit in this line
anicchan (अनिच्छन्) is the nominative of the present participle, "not wanting." iṣ (इष्) in the present is icchati (इच्छति), and the participle is icchan (इच्छन्). The negative a (अ) makes anicchan (अनिच्छन्). api (अपि) puts it beside the main verb: he does the evil even in the act of not wanting it. The not-wanting is not the cause. It is the part that fails to stop him.
Say it back
Ask his question with both parts: driven by what, and even unwilling. If anicchan (अनिच्छन्) drops, it is a question about a willing sinner, and that is not what he asked.