योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागता: |
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षव: || 23||
yotsyamānān avekṣhe ’haṁ ya ete ’tra samāgatāḥ
dhārtarāṣhṭrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-chikīrṣhavaḥ
yotsyamānān—those who have come to fight; avekṣhe aham—I desire to see; ye—who; ete—those; atra—here; samāgatāḥ—assembled; dhārtarāṣhṭrasya—of Dhritarashtra’s son; durbuddheḥ—evil-minded; yuddhe—in the fight; priya-chikīrṣhavaḥ—wishing to please
Translation:
I would observe these warriors assembled here for the battle wishing to please the evil-minded Duryodhana.
Commentary:
Of the evil-minded: Duryodhana is described as evil-minded. He has tried to injure and destroy the Pandavas in many ways. So Arjuna refers to him as a wicked man. ‘Buddhi nasat pranasyati‘. The Lord declares that man perishes when he loses the power of discrimination. Therefore the epithet ‘durbuddhi’ is indicative of the impending destruction of Duryodhana. It is a warning to all those whose mental disposition is darkened by evil propensities, that, like Duryodhana, they would ruin themselves by defeat, disgrace and death. Let everybody therefore strive for purity of mind and heart for spiritual progress.
Wishing to please: All those who sided Duryodhana perished. To support and encourage evil is also evil, and such a man suffers the same fate as the evil-doer. It should by all means be avoided by the spiritual seeker.