Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 38
यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्।।
कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम्।।
yady apy ete na paśyanti lobhopahata-cetasaḥ
kula-kṣaya-kṛtaṁ doṣaṁ mitra-drohe ca pātakam
also searched as "yadyapyete na pashyanti lobhopahatachetasah"
Translation
Though these people, whose minds are overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of a clan and no sin in treachery to friends,
Vāṇi's rendering
Their hearts eaten by greed, they see no crime in destroying a family, no evil in betraying friends.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यदिyadi | if, though |
| अपिapi | even; with yadi, "even though" (sandhi: yadi + api → yady apy) |
| एतेete | these men (Duryodhana and his side) |
| नna | not |
| पश्यन्तिpaśyanti | they see |
| लोभ-उपहत-चेतसःlobha-upahata-cetasaḥ | their thinking struck down and ruined by greed (sandhi: lobha + upahata → lobhopahata) |
| कुल-क्षय-कृतम्kula-kṣaya-kṛtam | brought about by the destruction of a family |
| दोषम्doṣam | the wrong, the crime |
| मित्र-द्रोहेmitra-drohe | in betraying friends |
| चca | and |
| पातकम्pātakam | the sin, the fall |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 38 mean?
Arjuna says the other side is blind — greed has eaten their thinking, so they cannot see the wrong in wiping out a family or betraying friends. It is an accurate reading of Duryodhana. It is also Arjuna building the case for why he, the one who can see, should not fight.
What does yadyapyete na pashyanti mean?
"Even though these men do not see." Arjuna is drawing a line between their sight and his own. They are lobha-upahata-cetasaḥ — minds knocked flat by wanting. He is not. The whole verse turns on that contrast, and the next verse will use it as an argument for withdrawal.
Is Arjuna correct about the Kauravas here?
Yes. Nothing Krishna says later contradicts this reading of Duryodhana. Greed had ruined that side's judgement. The trouble is not Arjuna's accuracy; it is what he does with it. Seeing another's blindness clearly can become its own way of not acting.
Why does Arjuna talk about greed in this verse?
Because greed explains the war to him. Someone wanted land badly enough to burn a family for it. Arjuna names the cause honestly, and in naming it feels absolved of the fight. Krishna will not let that stand — knowing why a thing is wrong is not the same as knowing what you must do.
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Commentary
Arjuna is right. Greed does blind; the Kauravas do not see what they are about to do. But notice where he is standing when he says it — above them, seeing what they cannot. Clear sight has become a reason to step back from the field. That is the turn to watch. The moment you can name exactly what is wrong with everyone else, the naming starts to feel like enough, and the doing quietly stops. Arjuna sees the crime and still does not move. Name the greed if you must. Then do the thing in front of you.