Bhagavad Gita 1.37-38

Sanskrit

तस्मान्नार्हा वयं हन्तुं धार्तराष्ट्रान्स्वबान्धवान् । स्वजनं हि कथं हत्वा सुखिनः स्याम माधव ॥1.37॥यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः । कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥1.38॥

Transliteration

tasmānnārhā vayaṃ hantuṃ dhārtarāṣṭrānsvabāndhavān | svajanaṃ hi kathaṃ hatvā sukhinaḥ syāma mādhava ‖1.37‖ yadyapyete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ | kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam ‖1.38‖

Meaning

“Even though these men, their minds overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of family and no sin in betraying friends, why should we not have the wisdom to turn back from this sin, O Krishna, we who clearly see the evil in the destruction of family?”

Key learning

Arjuna draws a line: the other side is blinded by greed and can't see the wrong, but "we" can see it, so shouldn't we stop? There's real moral seriousness here, but also the first hint of feeling superior. Being sure you see more clearly than others can quietly turn into pride. Spotting someone else's blindness isn't the same as truly seeing yourself.

How to apply this today

Hold your sense of being right loosely. "At least I can see what they can't" is a slippery comfort. In a family fight, being sure you alone get the real issue often blinds you to your own part in it. Real clarity usually makes a person humbler, not more superior. Test yourself: does your clarity make you kinder, or just more certain you're right?

Theme: The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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