Chapter 1, Verse 23
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः। धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः।।
yotsyamānān avekṣe 'haṁ ya ete 'tra samāgatāḥ dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ
Meaning
I wish to see those who are gathered here eager to fight, intending to please the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra in this battle.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Arjuna now explicitly names Duryodhana as 'durbuddhi' — evil-minded or of corrupt intelligence. This is not mere insult; it is a precise moral diagnosis. The Mahabharata consistently frames the war as a consequence of corrupted intelligence — the refusal to see clearly and act rightly — rather than mere personal wickedness. Intelligence distorted by desire, ego, and jealousy becomes the source of collective catastrophe.
Arjuna wishes to see who has chosen to align with this corrupted vision. The question is both moral and strategic: who has been willing to set aside their own dharma to serve another's desire? In any conflict, those who support the wrong side out of convenience, fear, or misplaced loyalty are as responsible for the outcome as the leaders they follow.
This verse invites honest self-examination: in our own choices, when have we aligned with the 'durbuddhi' in our life — the voice that knows better but chooses the comfortable path? Recognising that tendency in ourselves is the beginning of correcting it.
💡 Key Takeaway
Corrupted intelligence, not pure evil, is often the root of collective harm — examine your own reasoning regularly for distortion.
Related Verses
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः | मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥१॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ | māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya ||1||
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?
सञ्जय उवाच दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा। आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत्।।
sañjaya uvāca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadā ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt
Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle formation, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words.
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम्। व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता।।
paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām ācārya mahatīṁ camūm vyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā
O teacher, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, so skilfully arrayed by the son of Drupada — your own talented student.