nāyakā mama sainyasya
saṁjñārthaṁ tān bravīmi te
asmākam – our; tu – but; viśiṣṭāḥ – especially powerful; ye – who; tān – them; nibodha – just take note of, be informed; dvija-uttama – O best of the brāhmaṇas; nāyakāḥ – captains; mama – my; sainyasya – of the soldiers; saṁjñā-artham – for information; tān – them; bravīmi – I am speaking; te – to you.
TRANSLATION
But for your information, O best of the brāhmaṇas, let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.
TEXT 8
भवान् भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिञ्जयः ।
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च ।। 8 ।।
bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca
kṛpaś ca samitiṁ-jayaḥ
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca
saumadattis tathaiva ca
bhavān – your good self; bhīṣmaḥ – Grandfather Bhīṣma; ca – also; karṇaḥ – Karṇa; ca – and; kṛpaḥ – Kṛpa; ca – and; samitim-jayaḥ – always victorious in battle; aśvatthāmā – Aśvatthāmā; vikarṇaḥ – Vikarṇa; ca – as well as; saumadattiḥ – the son of Somadatta; tathā – as well as; eva – certainly; ca – also.
TRANSLATION
There are personalities like you, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta called Bhūriśravā, who are always victorious in battle.
PURPORT
Duryodhana mentions the exceptional heroes in the battle, all of whom are ever victorious. Vikarṇa is the brother of Duryodhana, Aśvatthāmā is the son of Droṇācārya, and Saumadatti, or Bhūriśravā, is the son of the King of the Bāhlīkas. Karṇa is the half brother of Arjuna, as he was born of Kuntī before her marriage with King Pāṇḍu. Kṛpācārya’s twin sister married Droṇācārya.
TEXT 9
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः ।
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्ध -विशारदाः ।। 9 ।।
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā
mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ
sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ
anye – others; ca – also; bahavaḥ – in great numbers; śūrāḥ – heroes; mat-arthe – for my sake; tyakta-jīvitāḥ – prepared to risk life; nānā – many; śastra – weapons; praharaṇāḥ – equipped with; sarve – all of them; yuddha-viśāradāḥ – experienced in military science.
TRANSLATION
There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.
PURPORT
As far as the others are concerned – like Jayadratha, Kṛtavarmā and Śalya – all are determined to lay down their lives for Duryodhana’s sake. In other words, it is already concluded that all of them would die in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for joining the party of the sinful Duryodhana. Duryodhana was, of course, confident of his victory on account of the above-mentioned combined strength of his friends.
TEXT 10
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् ।
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ।। 10 ।।
aparyāptaṁ tad asmākaṁ
balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam
paryāptaṁ tv idam eteṣāṁ
balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam
aparyāptam – immeasurable; tat – that; asmākam – of ours; balam – strength; bhīṣma – by Grandfather Bhīṣma; abhirakṣitam – perfectly protected; paryāptam – limited; tu – but; idam – all this; eteṣām – of the Pāṇḍavas; balam – strength; bhīma – by Bhīma; abhirakṣitam – carefully protected.
TRANSLATION
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhīṣma, whereas the strength of the Pāṇḍavas, carefully protected by Bhīma, is limited.
PURPORT
Herein an estimation of comparative strength is made by Duryodhana. He thinks that the strength of his armed forces is immeasurable, being specifically protected by the most experienced general, Grandfather Bhīṣma. On the other hand, the forces of the Pāṇḍavas are limited, being protected by a less experienced general, Bhīma, who is like a fig in the presence of Bhīṣma. Duryodhana was always envious of Bhīma because he knew perfectly well that if he should die at all, he would only be killed by Bhīma. But at the same time, he was confident of his victory on account of the presence of Bhīṣma, who was a far superior general. His conclusion that he would come out of the battle victorious was well ascertained.
TEXT 11
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिताः ।
भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्तः सर्व एव हि ।। 11 ।।
ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu
yathā-bhāgam avasthitāḥ
bhīṣmam evābhirakṣantu
bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi
ayaneṣu – in the strategic points; ca – also; sarveṣu – everywhere; yathā-bhāgam – as differently arranged; avasthitāḥ – situated; bhīṣmam – unto Grandfather Bhīṣma; eva – certainly; abhirakṣantu – should give support; bhavantaḥ – you; sarve – all respectively; eva hi – certainly.
TRANSLATION
All of you must now give full support to Grandfather Bhīṣma, as you stand at your respective strategic points of entrance into the phalanx of the army.
PURPORT
Duryodhana, after praising the prowess of Bhīṣma, further considered that others might think that they had been considered less important, so in his usual diplomatic way, he tried to adjust the situation in the above words. He emphasized that Bhīṣmadeva was undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he was an old man, so everyone must especially think of his protection from all sides. He might become engaged in the fight, and the enemy might take advantage of his full engagement on one side. Therefore, it was important that other heroes not leave their strategic positions and allow the enemy to break the phalanx. Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus depended on the presence of Bhīṣmadeva. He was confident of the full support of Bhīṣmadeva and Droṇācārya in the battle because he well knew that they did not even speak a word when Arjuna’s wife Draupadī, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to appear naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly. Although he knew that the two generals had some sort of affection for the Pāṇḍavas, he hoped that these generals would now completely give it up, as they had done during the gambling performances.
TEXT 12
तस्य सञ्जनयन् हर्षं कुरुवृद्धः पितामहः ।
सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैः शङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ।। 12 ।।
tasya sañjanayan harṣaṁ
kuru-vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ
siṁha-nādaṁ vinadyoccaiḥ
śaṅkhaṁ dadhmau pratāpavān
tasya – his; sañjanayan – increasing; harṣam – cheerfulness; kuru-vṛddhaḥ – the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty (Bhīṣma); pitāmahaḥ – the grandfather; siṁha-nādam – roaring sound, like that of a lion; vinadya – vibrating; uccaiḥ – very loudly; śaṅkham – conchshell; dadhmau – blew; pratāpa-vān – the valiant.
TRANSLATION
Then Bhīṣma, the great valiant grands
ire of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly, making a sound like the roar of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.
PURPORT
The grandsire of the Kuru dynasty could understand the inner meaning of the heart of his grandson Duryodhana, and out of his natural compassion for him he tried to cheer him by blowing his conchshell very loudly, befitting his position as a lion. Indirectly, by the symbolism of the conchshell, he informed his depressed grandson Duryodhana that he had no chance of victory in the battle, because the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa was on the other side. But still, it was his duty to conduct the fight, and no pains would be spared in that connection.
TEXT 13
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ।
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ।। 13 ।।
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca
paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ
sahasaivābhyahanyanta
sa śabdas tumulo ’bhavat
tataḥ – thereafter; śaṅkhāḥ – conchshells; ca – also; bheryaḥ – large drums; ca – and; paṇava-ānaka – small drums and kettledrums; go-mukhāḥ – horns; sahasā – all of a sudden; eva – certainly; abhyahanyanta – were simultaneously sounded; saḥ – that; śabdaḥ – combined sound; tumulaḥ – tumultuous; abhavat – became.
TRANSLATION
After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.
TEXT 14
ततः रवेतैर्हयैर्युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्थितौ ।
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदध्मतुः ।। 14 ।।
tataḥ śvetair hayair yukte
mahati syandane sthitau
mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva
divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ
tataḥ – thereafter; śvetaiḥ – with white; hayaiḥ – horses; yukte – being yoked; mahati – in a great; syandane – chariot; sthitau – situated; mādhavaḥ – Kṛṣṇa (the husband of the goddess of fortune); pāṇḍavaḥ – Arjuna (the son of Pāṇḍu); ca – also; eva – certainly; divyau – transcendental; śaṅkhau – conchshells; pradadhmatuḥ – sounded.
TRANSLATION
On the other side, both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.
PURPORT
In contrast with the conchshell blown by Bhīṣmadeva, the conchshells in the hands of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are described as transcendental. The sounding of the transcendental conchshells indicated that there was no hope of victory for the other side because Kṛṣṇa was on the side of the Pāṇḍavas. Jayas tu pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ pakṣe janārdanaḥ. Victory is always with persons like the sons of Pāṇḍu because Lord Kṛṣṇa is associated with them. And whenever and wherever the Lord is present, the goddess of fortune is also there because the goddess of fortune never lives alone without her husband. Therefore, victory and fortune were awaiting Arjuna, as indicated by the transcendental sound produced by the conchshell of Viṣṇu, or Lord Kṛṣṇa. Besides that, the chariot on which both the friends were seated had been donated by Agni (the fire-god) to Arjuna, and this indicated that this chariot was capable of conquering all sides, wherever it was drawn over the three worlds.
TEXT 15
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्डूं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ।। 15 ।।
pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo
devadattaṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ
pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁ
bhīma-karmā vṛkodaraḥ
pāñcajanyam – the conchshell named Pāñcajanya; hṛṣīka-īśaḥ – Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa, the Lord who directs the senses of the devotees); devadattam – the conchshell named Devadatta; dhanam-jayaḥ – Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, the winner of wealth); pauṇḍram – the conch named Pauṇḍra; dadhmau – blew; mahā-śaṅkham – the terrific conchshell; bhīma-karmā – one who performs herculean tasks; vṛka-udaraḥ – the voracious eater (Bhīma).
TRANSLATION
Lord Kṛṣṇa blew His conchshell, called Pāñcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhīma, the voracious eater and performer of herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell, called Pauṇḍra.
PURPORT
Lord Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Hṛṣīkeśa in this verse because He is the owner of all senses. The living entities are part and parcel of Him, and therefore the senses of the living entities are also part and parcel of His senses. The impersonalists cannot account for the senses of the living entities, and therefore they are always anxious to describe all living entities as senseless, or impersonal. The Lord, situated in the hearts of all living entities, directs their senses. But He directs in terms of the surrender of the living entity, and in the case of a pure devotee He directly controls the senses. Here on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra the Lord directly controls the transcendental senses of Arjuna, and thus His particular name of Hṛṣīkeśa. The Lord has different names according to His different activities. For example, His name is Madhusūdana because He killed the demon of the name Madhu; His name is Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and to the senses; His name is Vāsudeva because He appeared as the son of Vasudeva; His name is Devakī-nandana because He accepted Devakī as His mother; His name is Yaśodā-nandana because He awarded His childhood pastimes to Yaśodā at Vṛndāvana; His name is Pārtha-sārathi because He worked as charioteer of His friend Arjuna. Similarly, His name is Hṛṣīkeśa because He gave direction to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
Arjuna is referred to as Dhanañjaya in this verse because he helped his elder brother in fetching wealth when it was required by the king to make expenditures for different sacrifices. Similarly, Bhīma is known as Vṛkodara because he could eat as voraciously as he could perform herculean tasks, such as killing the demon Hiḍimba. So the particular types of conchshell blown by the different personalities on the side of the Pāṇḍavas, beginning with the Lord’s, were all very encouraging to the fighting soldiers. On the other side there were no such credits, nor the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme director, nor that of the goddess of fortune. So they were predestined to lose the battle – and that was the message announced by the sounds of the conchshells.
TEXTS 16–18
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ।। 16 ।।
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः ।
धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ।। 17 ।।
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान् दध्मुः पुथक् पृथक् ।। 18 ।।
anantavijayaṁ rājā
kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca
sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau
kāśyaś ca parameṣv-āsaḥ
śikhaṇḍī ca mahā-rathaḥ
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś ca
sātyakiś cāparājitaḥ
drupado draupadeyāś ca
sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-pate
saubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥ
śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak
ananta-vijayam – the conch named Ananta-vijaya; rājā – the king; kuntī-putraḥ – the son of Kuntī; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ – Yudhiṣṭhira; nakulaḥ – Nakula; sahadevaḥ – Sahadeva; ca – and; sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau – the conches named Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka; kāśyaḥ – the King of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī); ca – and; parama-iṣu-āsaḥ – the great archer; śikhaṇḍī – Śikhaṇḍī; ca – also; mahā-rathaḥ – one who can fight alone against thousands; dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ – Dhṛṣṭadyumna (the son of King Drupada); virāṭaḥ – Virāṭa (the prince who gave shelter to the Pāṇḍavas while they were in disguise); ca – also; sātyakiḥ – Sātyaki (the same as Yuyudhāna, the charioteer of Lord Kṛṣṇa); ca – and; aparājitaḥ – who had never been vanquished; drupadaḥ – Drupada, the King of Pāñcāla; draupadeyāḥ – the sons of Draupadī; ca – also; sarvaśaḥ – all; pṛthivī-pate – O King; saubhadraḥ – Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā; ca – also; mahā-bāhuḥ – mighty-armed; śaṅkhān – conchshells; dadhmuḥ – blew; pṛthak pṛthak – each separately.
TRANSLATION
King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka. That great archer the King of Kāśī, the great fighter Śikhaṇḍī, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, the unconquerable Sātyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadī, and others, O King, such as the mighty-armed son of Subhadrā, all blew their respective conchshells.
PURPORT
Sañjaya informed King Dhṛtarāṣṭra very tactfully that his unwise policy of deceiving the sons of Pāṇḍu and endeavoring to enthrone his own sons on the seat of the kingdom was not very laudable. The signs already clearly indicated that the whole Kuru dynasty would be killed in that great battle. Beginning with the grandsire, Bhīṣma, down to the grandsons like Abhimanyu and others – including kings from many states of the world – all were present there, and all were doomed. The whole catastrophe was due to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, because he encouraged the policy followed by his sons.
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Page 7
