Bg. 1.23

Translation

Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

Purport

It was an open secret that Duryodhana wanted to usurp the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas by evil plans, in collaboration with his father, Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, all persons who had joined the side of Duryodhana must have been birds of the same feather. Arjuna wanted to see them on the battlefield before the fight was begun, just to learn who they were, but he had no intention of proposing peace negotiations with them. It was also a fact that he wanted to see them to make an estimate of the strength which he had to face, although he was quite confident of victory because Kṛṣṇa was sitting by his side.

—-

Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada!

Question about everyone on the side of Duryodhana - were they all really birds of the same feather? Duryodhana was evil. I suppose most of people will agree with that. Was Bhisma evil? Or Dronacarya? 

It could be said that because they were on the wrong side, they are the same. However, birds of the same feather mean (according to my understanding) people who have similar characters or interests, especially ones of which you disapprove, and who often spend time with each other. 

Based on this meaning, we can see that Duryodhana, Bhishma, and Drona have distinct personalities and differing interests. Additionally, it is unclear how much time they spent together.

Sure, I may be wrong.

Now, saying that, I would like to introduce another perspective or background.

One perspective to my inquiry is that Srila Prabhupada and sastra (often) use absolute words like all, nobody, everything, nothing, always, never, only. Still…, it looks that life and existence itself have nuances. Somehow, I reckon, these are overlooked in some of the devotee gatherings, lectures, talks, etc. By doing that ISKCON (in part) tends to be fanatical, overly orthodox, and unduly stern, which can provoke unduly harshness towards others and devotees themselves.

Please, if you deem it appropriate to answer, I am all ears (eyes).

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya Das

hps - thank you. hare krsna.

i think you're right.

can we say that bhisma and drona did not 'join' duryodhana?

they felt they had to fight pandavas because it was their duty.

they even wished arjuna victory, no?

prabhupada said that one reason they were in the opposite side was to show that no matter how materially, morally, powerful the opposition is, it cannot defeat KRSNA, The SPOG.

Nicely complex.

Dramatically complex! 👍

Second thing, yes also, that is hyperbole, no? Say, 'he is the greatest', but meaning that as a category rather than a unique post.

i think it is more common in ksatriya speak. they like to see things in black and white so that it is a simple fight!

need women preaching to women.

girls preaching to girls.

puppies preaching to puppies.

then we can catch the neophytes and then they will understand the superficial differences and appreciate how we have ksatriyas in iskcon, emotional women.

it is a big army. we need all kinds of people, no?