Greed blinds the mind to consequences.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः।कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्।।
yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahata-cetasaḥ kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitra-drohe ca pātakam
Use this verse when desire starts justifying questionable choices.
Meaning
Even if they, whose minds are overpowered by greed, do not see the harm in family destruction and the sin in betraying friends...
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna says greed has blinded the other side. Greed narrows vision until people cannot see the damage they create.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse speaks directly to one of the Gita’s central psychological themes: greed clouds discernment. Arjuna sees that the Kauravas are unable to recognize the consequences of their actions because desire has captured their minds. In modern life, greed is not only about money.
It can be greed for attention, control, validation, speed, status, pleasure, or power. When greed dominates, people justify betrayal, ignore long-term damage, and call self-interest strategy. The verse invites people to examine where desire has made them blind.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna now explicitly diagnoses the Kaurava camp's moral blindness: their minds are 'lobhopahata' — struck and overwhelmed by greed. Lobha (greed) is one of the six enemies of the mind in Vedic psychology, and its effect is precisely this: it blinds a person to the harm they are causing. They cannot see the family destruction they are precipitating because desire has occluded their perception.
This is a crucial distinction Arjuna is making: the wrongdoers cannot see the wrong. This is not the same as being incorrigibly evil; it is being blinded by passion. The blind king Dhritarashtra — a metaphor for the mind ruled by attachment — cannot see reality. His son Duryodhana has inherited this spiritual blindness. Greed produces a selective vision that registers only what serves it.
For us, this verse is a call to periodic examination: where in our own lives has desire narrowed our vision? Where might we be causing harm to family, friendship, or community without perceiving it, because what we want has become the only lens through which we see? The capacity for such honest self-scrutiny is itself a spiritual practice.
In daily life
Watch for desires that make you justify harm.
A company chasing growth may ignore customer harm and call it aggressive scaling.
Try this today
Write one strong desire and list the consequences you may be ignoring because of it.
I let wisdom govern desire, not desire govern wisdom.Reflect
What desire is narrowing my vision right now?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘कुलक्षयकृतम्’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on delusion, in other chapters
- Verse 18.7Abandoning your rightful duties out of confusion is not renunciation — it is darkness in disguise.
- Verse 2.1 · SanjayaWhen we are most overwhelmed by emotion is precisely when we most need the clear wisdom of a true guide.
- Verse 3.4Walking away from your duties does not free you — freedom is found by acting without attachment, not by avoiding action.
- Verse 13.22What you cling to shapes where you go — attachment to nature's qualities keeps the wheel of rebirth turning.
Swipe left for 1.39 · When you see harm clearly, you become responsible for your response.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 1.38
Who says Bhagavad Gita 1.38, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 1.38, in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma (Arjuna Vishada Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 1.38 mean?
Even if they, whose minds are overpowered by greed, do not see the harm in family destruction and the sin in betraying friends... (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 1.38 for daily life?
Watch for desires that make you justify harm. A company chasing growth may ignore customer harm and call it aggressive scaling.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 1.38 mean?
यद्यपि — even though; एते — these (the Kauravas); न पश्यन्ति — do not see; लोभोपहतचेतसः — whose minds are overpowered by greed; कुलक्षयकृतम् — caused by the destruction of the family.
Where does verse 1.38 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 38 of 47 in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma. The next verse is 1.39.