Bhagavad-gita 1.37-40

37 – 38

O Janardana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one's family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?

Arjuna's concern is not simply another shade of Duryodhana's self-interest, held by someone with less evolutionary right to survive. Duryodhana is concerned about himself only, at the expense of others. By this argument that Arjuna introduces here he reveals that he is not simply spineless. His sphere of concern is wider than his own self-interest.

39 - 40

With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished, and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion. When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krishna, the women of the family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vrishni, comes unwanted progeny.

Arjuna is concerned about the wider sociological implications of his actions. His level of vision extends far beyond the immediate consequences and considers the larger impact. Duryodhana thinks only of himself and his immediate desires and agenda. Arjuna shows himself to be a leader of a higher caliber through this consideration of the wider issues – the bigger picture.

The family unit is the basis of human society, although at present in the increasingly globalized consumer society this is being supplanted by the individual consumer as the basic building block.

When family traditions are disrupted or destroyed, as will be the result of this battle, the women of the family become vulnerable to exploitation. There is no family structure to bring pressure to bear to enforce responsible behaviour – no father to “bring the shotgun to the wedding”. The results of this are children who are many times not economically supported by their biological father, and do not enjoy a stable social and economic situation for their upbringing. These children grow up with an underlying psychological impression that they are in fact unwanted, and this influences their future as members of society. Children from broken homes are disproportionately represented in statistics of violent crime, substance abuse, and suicide. Due to a lack of a successful model of stable family life they are also disproportionately represented in divorce statistics.

Arjuna's concern for this is a symptom of his compassion, and an indication that he has the character needed to be an authentic leader.