Gita 01.23 – How The Evil Got So Many Allies

 

Audio Link 2:  https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-01-23-how-the-evil-got-so-many-allies/

 

yotsyamānān avekṣe ’haṁ

ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ

dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher

yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ

 

Word-for-Word:

yotsyamānān — those who will be fighting; avekṣe — let me see; aham — I; ye — who; ete — those; atra — here; samāgatāḥ — assembled; dhārtarāṣṭrasya — for the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; durbuddheḥ — evil-minded; yuddhe — in the fight; priya — well; cikīrṣavaḥ — wishing.

 

Translation:

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

 

Explanation:

In this verse, Arjuna elaborates on his request to Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot between the two armies. This request, which began in verse 1.21, continued through 1.22 and will now conclude in 1.23. Arjuna says:

“yotsyamānān avekṣe ’haṁ”: I want to see those who will be fighting.

“ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ”: Those who have assembled here.

“dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddher”: The sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra are ‘durbuddher’—of misdirected intelligence. Among them, Duryodhana was particularly evil-minded.

“yuddhe priya-cikīrṣavaḥ”: I want to see those who, for the sake of fighting, desiring Duryodhana’s good, have acted as his well-wishers, and have decided to fight on his side.

 

We know that the Pāṇḍavas’ cause was clearly righteous, and they had earned the kingdom by their own virtue. First of all, the kingdom was rightfully theirs because Pāṇḍu had been the king, and it would have passed to his sons, the Pāṇḍavas. When the Pāṇḍavas were believed to have perished in the fire at Vāraṇāvata, the kingdom fell into the hands of the Kauravas. Dhṛtarāṣṭra continued to rule, while Duryodhana acted as the unofficial ruler, doing whatever he pleased without any restraint from the weak-minded Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

 

Later, when the Pāṇḍavas married Draupadī, Dhṛtarāṣṭra called them back, recognizing their alliance with the powerful Drupada, and gave them half the kingdom. However, this half was just a barren land, Khāṇḍavaprastha. Through their virtue, the Pāṇḍavas transformed it into Indraprastha—a magnificent and flourishing kingdom. By using their military prowess, they subdued kings all over the world and performed the Rājasūya Yajña—after which Yudhiṣṭhira was acknowledged as the emperor of the entire world. All this they had achieved through their skill and virtue, yet the Kauravas unfairly and viciously deprived them of their entire kingdom.

 

How was Duryodhana “durbuddher”? Duryodhana never gave up the greed that fueled his envy of the Pāṇḍavas. Despite Duryodhana’s repeated attempts to assassinate them, the Pāṇḍavas were so gracious that they were still willing to live peacefully. However, Duryodhana was not ready to let things be. Given that Yudhiṣṭhira was older and that Pāṇḍu had been the king, it was expected that Yudhiṣṭhira would inherit the throne, and Duryodhana would be just a member of the royal family. Yet, Duryodhana had received half the kingdom and should have been satisfied with that, but he was foolish on one level and evil on another.

 

A foolish person is someone who doesn’t know the right thing to do and acts in a misguided or stupid way. While foolish actions can sometimes be harmful, they are often driven by ignorance or lack of understanding. In contrast, evil people commit wrongs knowingly, fully aware that their actions will harm others. They still pursue these actions because their selfish desires are so compelling that they are willing to do anything to fulfill them.

 

In the case of Duryodhana, he epitomized “durbuddher.” He deliberately orchestrated a conspiracy in which Yudhiṣṭhira was enticed into gambling and consequently lost everything. As if that loss wasn’t enough, Duryodhana went on to viciously insult and dishonor the Pāṇḍavas’ wife, Draupadī. There was no doubt that the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, were “durbuddher.” Even while the Pāṇḍavas were in the forest, many sages counseled Duryodhana to seek peace, either by returning the kingdom to the Pāṇḍavas or, at the very least, by restoring it to them once they completed their period of exile. However, Duryodhana stubbornly, foolishly, and arrogantly refused to heed any good counsel. He even rejected Kṛṣṇa’s advice. Thus, he was truly durbuddher.

 

It was surprising that so many kings allied with Duryodhana, given his stupidity, malice, and evil nature. Duryodhana commanded eleven akṣauhiṇīs, while the Pāṇḍavas, through their allies, had seven akṣauhiṇīs. This means that the forces of the eleven akṣauhiṇīs did not solely come from Duryodhana’s own kingdom or army—most of these forces were provided by other kings. The fact that so many kings allied with the evil Duryodhana was indeed surprising, and there were several reasons for this.

 

First of all, Duryodhana was an excellent manipulator. He had the ability to twist narratives, presenting himself not as a victimizer but as a mere bystander, while portraying the Pāṇḍavas as the ones who had brought grief upon themselves.

 

Initially, when the Pāṇḍavas were in renunciant robes and Balarāma saw them, he was furious and deeply angered by the Kauravas for insulting the Pāṇḍavas. However, towards the end of the exile, when the Pāṇḍavas met the Yadavas, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Balarāma urged them to exercise caution. He remarked that it was their own fault that they lost the kingdom and that they couldn’t blame the Kauravas for it. On one level, Balarāma is the Supreme Lord, and his actions are transcendental. On another level, Duryodhana had presented his own version of the story, influencing many people.

 

Firstly, Duryodhana, being a skilled spin doctor, had spun a yarn that depicted him in a favorable light. Furthermore, he was in power and had access to state resources and prestige. Some allies supported him not because of the cause he was fighting for but because they shared his mindset. Certain kings, who were themselves evil, supported Duryodhana to ensure that someone with similar inclinations was at the helm of world affairs, allowing them to continue their nefarious activities. Additionally, many were obligated to fight, such as Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Bāhlīka. Bāhlīka, the stepbrother of Bhīṣma, was also duty-bound to protect the ruling dynasty of the Kuru kingdom, much like Bhīṣma.

 

Arjuna is questioning how someone like Duryodhana, whom he knows to be cruel, has so many well-wishers siding with him. He wants to see who are the warriors ready to fight alongside him and how determined they are. Arjuna struggles to accept the situation, which he will later express in the second chapter when he questions how he can fight against his grandsire, Bhīṣma, or his martial teacher, Droṇa. It seems impossible to him—he cannot fight them. Although he understands that, as a Kṣatriya, he has a duty to fight, he lacks the fighting spirit, especially when it involves his revered elders. Here, Arjuna is asking about the warriors who support Duryodhana—whether they are present or stationed elsewhere. As he is about to begin the war, he wants to gauge the extent of this family conflict and determine the fighting spirit of the warriors on the opposing side. Therefore, Arjuna requests Kṛṣṇa to let him see who is present on Duryodhana’s side.

 

Thank you.