In the Bhagavad-gita’s first chapter, when Arjuna wanted to see those on the opposite side, he referred to them as “allies of the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra” (01.23). But after he saw them from the middle of the army, he referred to them as “my people” (01.28). 

Why this difference? Because his perception had changed his focus. Though he had known that those on the opposite side included his relatives, he had focused on the fact that those there had chosen to ally with the evil-minded Duryodhana. But when he actually saw them, his focus changed: he was forcefully reminded that they were his relatives. And the harsh reality that he had to fight and kill his relatives became dominant in his consciousness. 

Significantly, this Gita section contains several references to seeing: in Arjuna’s words (01.21: nirikshe, 01.23: avekshe), in Krishna’s words (01.25: pashya), in Sanjaya’s words (01.26: apashyat, 01.27: samiksha) and again in Arjuna’s words (01.28: drishtva). Through all these words, the Gita highlights the power of what we see: it can completely alter how we see it. When we enter a situation, our eyes can sometimes provide some information that changes our focus constructively. But sometimes, our eyes may change our focus destructively if something catches and consumes our attention — as happened with Arjuna when he saw his opponents from the middle of the battlefield. 

That’s why we can’t let our eyes alone determine the focus of our vision; we need to use our intelligence to determine that focus. Krishna’s message equipped Arjuna with that intelligence, and it can similarly equip all of us too. 

One-sentence summary:

What we see often changes how we see — beware of the power of what we see and be ready with our intelligence to determine how we see it.

Think it over:

  • After coming to the middle of the two armies, how did Arjuna’s vision change?
  • Why did Arjuna’s vision change?
  • What can we learn from Arjuna’s change of vision? 

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01.28: Arjuna said: My dear Krishna, seeing my friends and relatives present before me in such a fighting spirit, I feel the limbs of my body quivering and my mouth drying up.

What Arjuna saw changed how he saw

To know more about this verse, please click on the image