1.38

Sanskrit

यद्यप्येते न पश्यन्ति लोभोपहतचेतसः । कुलक्षयकृतं दोषं मित्रद्रोहे च पातकम् ॥

yadyapy ete na paśyanti lobhopahatacetasaḥ kulakṣayakṛtaṃ doṣaṃ mitradrohe ca pātakam

Translation

Although these, with intelligence overpowered by greed, see no guilt in the destruction of a family, no crime in hostility to friends,

Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain

Explanation

Arjuna opens a second argument, granting that the Kauravas, blinded by greed, genuinely don’t see anything wrong with destroying a family. The concession sets up verse 39’s turn: not seeing the wrong doesn’t excuse them, and — more to the point for Arjuna — knowing better puts a heavier obligation on the Pândava side specifically.