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मूलम्
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः |
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेः युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः || १-२३ ||
Meaning
शब्दार्थाः (Word for word)
योत्स्यमानान् -- those who are ready to fight ;
अवेक्षे -- see;
अहम् -- I;
ये -- those;
एते -- these;
अत्र -- here;
समागताः -- assembled;
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य -- of the son of Dhritarashtra (Duryodhana's);
दुर्बुद्धेः -- of the evil-minded;
युद्धे -- in battle;
प्रियचिकीर्षवः -- men desirous of doing what is pleasing
अन्वयः (Word order)
ये दुर्बुद्धेः धार्तराष्ट्रस्य प्रियचिकीर्षवः एते अत्र समागताः योत्स्यमानान् अहं अवेक्षे ।
अनुवादः (Translation)
(Arjuna continues) "I will see those who are gathered here, ready to fight, who are desirous of pleasing (Duryodhana) the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra."
Notes
- Ramanuja and RSDji don't have any particular insights to add here.
Practice Notes
(Balaji)
I find the contrast between Arjuna's attitude in these verses and his subsequent attitude when he is overcome by compassion striking. However, I don't know quite what to make of it. The commentators I have seen so far do not say anything in particular about this. Do any of you also feel similarly?
anand — 23 April 2009, 10:07
I am not able to see anything striking here. I can just see that his hatred of Duryodhana is strong appropriately, while his respect and love for Bheeshma, Drona, etc. makes him wilt. Later, even when he says the sort of things which make his body weak, he does not mention these Kaurava people explicitly.
I do not know the specific difference between निरीक्षे and अवेक्षे but I wonder if there is anything in the usage in 1-22 vs 1-23 or if both just mean "I see".
In the Translation, should it be "I will see" or "I see"?
mani — 23 April 2009, 10:08
When we think of the opposition as a group, it is easy to reduce their humanity and think only of the qualities common to them that differentiate them from us. However, when Arjuna gets closer, away from his own group, no longer a पक्षपाती as it were, he sees their individuality and how they have value to him -- Bhishma, Drona, Salya. I think the commentators don't say anything about this because it's hard to weave into the narrative of the Gita, that Arjuna needs to be regain his sense of duty. I have always felt that his विषद is easy for today's people to relate to in the aftermath of the constant large-scale warfare of the last hundred plus years, a lot of which was accomplished by dehumanizing the enemy.
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