Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 23
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः।
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः।।
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः।।
yotsyamānān avekṣe ’haṁ ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ
also searched as "yotsyamanan avekshe aham ya ete atra samagatah"
Translation
I wish to see those gathered here ready to fight in this battle in order to please the evil-minded son of Dhrtarashtra.
Vāṇi's rendering
Let me look at those gathered to fight for the sake of Dhritarashtra's ill-minded son.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| योत्स्यमानान्yotsyamānān | those who are about to fight |
| अवेक्षेavekṣe | let me look at, let me observe |
| अहम्aham | I (joined by sandhi as 'ham after avekṣe) |
| येye | who |
| एतेete | these |
| अत्रatra | here (joined by sandhi as 'tra after ete) |
| समागताःsamāgatāḥ | come together, assembled |
| धार्तराष्ट्रस्यdhārtarāṣṭrasya | of the son of Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana |
| दुर्बुद्धेःdurbuddheḥ | of the ill-minded one (visarga becomes r before yuddhe) |
| युद्धेyuddhe | in the battle |
| प्रियचिकीर्षवःpriya-cikīrṣavaḥ | wishing to do what pleases him |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 23 mean?
Arjuna asks to see who has assembled to fight on Duryodhana's side. It is a request to look, nothing more. He speaks it with contempt — durbuddheḥ, ill-minded — still confident of his cause. The looking is what will undo that confidence, and Krishna grants it without a word.
What does yotsyamanan avekshe aham mean?
It means 'let me look at those about to fight.' Arjuna is not asking to be shown a strategy or a count of soldiers. He wants to see them. The Sanskrit avekṣe carries the sense of looking down and across, taking in a field — the gaze of someone who does not yet know what he will find.
Why does Arjuna call Duryodhana ill-minded here?
Because he still believes the quarrel is simple. Naming the other side as evil-minded is how the mind steadies itself before a hard act. It is the last unshaken thing Arjuna says. Notice how quickly it falls away once he actually sees the men standing under Duryodhana's banner.
What can I learn from this verse in my own life?
That certainty about people survives best at a distance. Arjuna's conviction lasts exactly as long as the other army is an abstraction. When you find yourself sure that someone deserves what is coming, go close enough to see the face. Then decide.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna wants to see faces. He has had the chariot driven to the middle of the field, and now he says why: let me look at the ones who came. He is still sure of himself — he calls Duryodhana ill-minded, and the word has contempt in it. He expects to see enemies. What he will see, four verses on, are uncles and teachers and cousins, and his bow will slip from his hand. Looking is never neutral. Whatever you have decided about the people on the other side of your quarrel, go and look at them closely. Very few grudges survive the face.