Chapter 1 · Shloka 38— The Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection

yady apy ete na paśhyanti lobhopahata-chetasaḥ kula-kṣhaya-kṛitaṁ doṣhaṁ mitra-drohe cha pātakam

yadi api

— even though

ete

— they

na

— not

paśhyanti

— see

lobha

— greed

upahata

— overpowered

chetasaḥ

— thoughts

kula-kṣhaya-kṛitam

— in annihilating their relatives

doṣham

— fault

mitra-drohe

— to wreak treachery upon friends

cha

— and

pātakam

— sin

Arjuna shifts to a new line of argument, contrasting himself with his enemies: 'Even though these men, their minds overpowered by greed, see no fault in the destruction of a family and no sin in treachery to friends…' He grants that the Kauravas are blinded — their 'chetas', their understanding, is 'lobha-upahata', stricken by greed — so that they cannot perceive the evil they are doing. This verse and the next form a pair. Here Arjuna sets up the contrast: they are blind to the wrong, but (1.39 will say) we can see it clearly, so surely we are obliged to act differently. There is something genuinely perceptive here — Arjuna correctly diagnoses greed as a force that blinds moral vision, a theme the Gita develops powerfully later (greed as one of the three gates to ruin, 16.21). But commentators note the subtle self-flattery beginning to creep in: Arjuna is positioning himself as the clear-sighted moral one against the greed-blinded others. Even sincere moral insight can quietly become a way of feeling superior — and that, too, can distort judgement.

Arjuna makes a genuinely sharp observation: the other side is 'blinded by greed' and literally can't see the wrong they're doing. He's right that greed warps moral vision — people deep in it often sincerely cannot perceive the harm they're causing. That's a real and useful insight about how wrongdoing works from the inside. But watch the subtle thing creeping in: Arjuna is now positioning himself as the clear-eyed moral one versus the morally blind others. That move feels great — and it's where a lot of self-righteousness is born. The moment 'I can see clearly and they can't' becomes 'I am the good one here', moral insight quietly curdles into superiority, and superiority distorts judgement just as much as greed does. The check is humbling: greed isn't the only thing that blinds people. Self-righteousness, the certainty that you're the clear-sighted good guy, blinds just as effectively. Real moral clarity usually comes with humility about your own blind spots, not a comfortable seat above everyone else's.

Arjuna makes a genuinely sharp point: the other side is 'blinded by greed' and literally can't see the harm they're doing. He's right — greed warps people's moral vision, and folks deep in it often sincerely can't perceive the damage they cause. Real, useful insight about how wrongdoing feels from the inside. BUT peep the subtle thing creeping in: Arjuna is now casting himself as the clear-eyed good guy vs. the morally blind villains. That move feels SO good — and it's exactly where self-righteousness is born. The second 'I can see clearly and they can't' becomes 'I'm the good one here,' moral insight quietly curdles into superiority — and superiority warps your judgement just as hard as greed does. Humbling check: greed isn't the only thing that blinds people. Being certain you're the clear-sighted good guy blinds just as well. Real moral clarity comes with humility about your own blind spots, not a comfy seat above everyone else.

Arjuna says the other side is so greedy that they can't even see they're doing wrong. He's making a good point — wanting too much (greed) really can stop people from seeing what's right. But Arjuna is also starting to think, 'I'm the good one who can see clearly, and they're the bad, blind ones.' That feeling can be tricky! Thinking you're better than everyone else can blind you too. It's wiser to stay humble and remember that we all have things we can't see about ourselves.