Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 4: Meaning and Special Explanation

Sloka (Verse):

अत्र शूरा महेष्वासा भीमार्जुनसमा युधि ।
युयुधानो विराटश्च द्रुपदश्च महारथः ॥४॥

Atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjuna-samā yudhi ।
Yuyudhāno virāṭaś ca drupadaś ca mahā-rathaḥ ॥4॥

Word-by-Word Meaning:

atra — here, in this army
śūrāḥ — heroes, brave warriors
mahā-iṣu-āsāḥ — great bowmen, mighty archers
bhīma-arjuna-samāḥ — equal to Bhima and Arjuna
yudhi — in battle, in fight
yuyudhānaḥ — Yuyudhana (Satyaki)
virāṭaḥ — Virata
ca — and
drupadaḥ — Drupada
ca — and
mahā-rathaḥ — great chariot warrior, maharathi

Translation:

Here in this army are many brave archers like Bhima and Arjuna, and great warriors like Yuyudhana, Virata, and Drupada.

Purport

In this fourth verse, Duryodhana begins to mention the names of the principal warriors on the Pandava side to his teacher Dronacharya. This verse is extremely important because it reveals Duryodhana's psychological state and his strategy even more clearly.

In the previous verse, Duryodhana had spoken about Dhrishtadyumna, who was Dronacharya's own disciple and who was born with the specific purpose of killing Dronacharya. Although Dhrishtadyumna was a relatively insignificant obstacle compared to Dronacharya's immense power in military strategy, there were many other great warriors on the Pandava side who were truly causes for fear.

Duryodhana is now mentioning those great warriors and describing them as formidable obstacles. He says they are all fearsome fighters like Bhima and Arjuna. This comparison is extremely significant because Bhima and Arjuna were the most powerful and skilled warriors of that era.

Bhimasena was famous for his extraordinary physical strength. It was said that he possessed the strength of ten thousand elephants. In mace fighting, he was unstoppable. His anger and fury in battle were legendary. On the other hand, Arjuna was the greatest archer, whose teacher was Dronacharya himself. Dronacharya had pledged to make Arjuna the greatest archer in the world and had fulfilled that promise. Arjuna was not only skilled but possessed extraordinary speed, accuracy and strategic brilliance.

Duryodhana knew very well about the power of Bhima and Arjuna. They had been his childhood companions and rivals. Many times he had witnessed their strength and many times he had been defeated and humiliated by them. This is why he is comparing other great warriors to Bhima and Arjuna, which proves how much fear and respect these two Pandava brothers had created in his mind.

In this verse, Duryodhana mentions three principal warriors: Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada.

Yuyudhana, also known as Satyaki, was a great warrior of the Yadu dynasty. He was a relative of Lord Sri Krishna and His devoted follower. Like Arjuna, he was also a disciple of Dronacharya and was highly skilled in archery. Yuyudhana was not only a great warrior but was also an intimate friend of Arjuna and deeply devoted to the Pandavas. His loyalty was unwavering and his courage was extraordinary.

Virata was the king of the Matsya kingdom. When the Pandavas were spending the last year of their thirteen-year exile in hiding, they took refuge in Virata's kingdom. Virata showed great respect and love toward the Pandavas and stood by them in their time of crisis. Although he was elderly, he was an experienced and skilled warrior. His kingdom and army had joined the Pandava side.

Drupada was the king of Panchala and the father of Draupadi. As mentioned earlier, he had an old enmity with Dronacharya. Drupada was an extremely powerful king and his kingdom was prosperous and militarily strong. His army was vast and well-trained. Drupada himself was a maharathi, meaning one who could fight against ten thousand ordinary warriors single-handedly.

Duryodhana is specifically mentioning these three because each of them was extremely powerful and behind them were vast armies and resources. Not only their personal skills but also their political and military influence was extremely important.

Duryodhana's strategy becomes clear in this verse. He is highlighting the strength of the Pandava side before Dronacharya, but what is his purpose? Is he really providing information, or something else?

In fact, Duryodhana is trying to frighten Dronacharya while simultaneously provoking him. He wants Dronacharya to understand the formidable nature of the Pandava strength and fight with full force. Duryodhana knows that Dronacharya is affectionate toward the Pandavas, especially Arjuna. Therefore, he wants to convey the message to Dronacharya's mind that there is no place here for any mercy or softness.

This behavior of Duryodhana reveals an important aspect of his character. He is a skilled psychologist and strategist. He knows how to use people's fear and pride. But at the root of all these strategies is his own deep fear and insecurity.

If Duryodhana were truly confident, he would not need to enumerate the enemy's strength in this way and repeatedly warn his teacher. A truly confident leader encourages his troops, raises their morale, does not create fear by exaggerating the enemy's strength. But what Duryodhana is doing is highlighting the enemy's power, which could indirectly lower the morale of his own side.

This verse teaches us an important lesson. When we walk the path of unrighteousness, when we know we are on the wrong path, there is always fear and doubt in our hearts. No matter how confident we appear outwardly, inside we know that truth and dharma are against us. This underlying fear is manifesting in every word and action of Duryodhana.

In contrast, although the Pandavas were fewer in number and poor in resources, they were calm and confident. Because they knew that dharma was on their side and most importantly, Lord Sri Krishna was with them. When God is on your side, there is no reason for fear. This is the real source of confidence and strength.

The warriors mentioned in this verse were not only individually powerful, each of them stood for dharma. They knew that injustice had been done to the Pandavas and this war was for justice. This moral strength multiplied their physical and military power many times over.

From Duryodhana's speech we can understand another thing - the psychological war has begun even before the actual war starts. Duryodhana is trying to maintain the morale of his own side and assess the enemy's strength. But in this very assessment, his own weakness and fear are being revealed.

These opening verses of the Bhagavad Gita are actually a metaphor for all human life. Each of us has a Kurukshetra in our lives, where good and evil, dharma and adharma, truth and falsehood face each other. The outcome of our lives depends on which side we choose.

Although Duryodhana is a king and a powerful warrior, he has fear and insecurity within because he knows he is on the path of unrighteousness. If we too choose the wrong path in life, we will also have this fear and restlessness within, no matter how successful or powerful we appear outwardly.

The contrasting approaches of Duryodhana and the Pandavas represent the eternal choice before every human being. We can either rely on material power, cunning strategy, and external support while harboring inner fear and doubt, or we can stand firmly on the foundation of truth and righteousness with divine support, maintaining inner peace regardless of external circumstances. The Gita will eventually teach us that true victory comes not from worldly calculations but from aligning ourselves with dharma and surrendering to the Supreme Lord.

---

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare।
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare॥