All beings, including those who do not want to indulge in sinful acts, are drawn into the trap of evil, which is an imminent reality in this world of material existence. Arjuna is baffled at this tendency to commit sins though one may want to refrain from it.
Krishna replies that one should understand the Self as distinct from the gunas that are integral to the body and learn to extricate oneself from this bondage, pointed out Swami Omkarananda in a discourse.
The greatest enemy to man is desire. When desire is thwarted, it gives rise to anger. These two are always in conjunction. Just as fire consumes more firewood and is ready to burn more and more, the desire for sense objects and pleasures never finds satisfaction. In fact, desire breeds further desire. When desires multiply, sins also multiply. The entire human race has been affected badly because of yielding to endless desires.
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Desire has the power to destroy the inherent power of wisdom and discrimination in an individual. It conceals the wisdom even as smoke hides the fire or dirt the mirror or the womb the foetus. When the senses, mind and intelligence are held by desire, the jivatma is deluded and is unable to recognise the true wisdom about his Self. Instead, he is led to believe that attainment of riches, fame and sensual pleasures is the goal of human life and all his energies are directed in this channel. That is why scriptures reiterate that though the senses are powerful, the mind is more powerful than them; and one’s intelligence is still more powerful than the mind. The way out is to train the mind to keep the senses in check and align it with the intellect or buddhi which draws its strength from the Self.