Sanskrit
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् । कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे ॥
yāvad etān nirīkṣe'haṃ yoddhukāmān avasthitān kair mayā saha yoddhavyam asmin raṇasamudyame
Translation
That I may behold these standing, longing for battle, with whom I must strive in this outbreaking war,
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Arjuna’s stated reason for the request in verse 21 sounds entirely tactical: he wants to see who he’ll actually be fighting. Nothing here suggests the reaction that’s about to follow — the request reads like ordinary battlefield reconnaissance, which makes verses 26–30’s collapse land as a genuine reversal rather than something he saw coming.