Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 9: Meaning and Special Explanation

Sloka (Verse):

अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः ।
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥९॥

Anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ ।
Nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ ॥9॥

Word-by-Word Meaning:

anye — others
ca — also, and
bahavaḥ — many
śūrāḥ — heroes, valiant warriors
mat-arthe — for my sake
tyakta-jīvitāḥ — prepared to sacrifice their lives
nānā — various, many kinds of
śastra — weapons
praharaṇāḥ — equipped with
sarve — all
yuddha — in military science, in warfare
viśāradāḥ — experienced, skilled

Translation:

There are also many other brave warriors who are ready to sacrifice their lives for me. They are all well-equipped with various types of weapons and are highly skilled in warfare.

Purport

Hidden within this verse lies a profound and tragic truth about human life. Here, Duryodhana is proclaiming with pride that on his side stand countless great warriors such as Jayadratha, Kritavarma, Shalya, and other notable fighters. These heroes were not merely skilled fighters; they were prepared to sacrifice their very lives for Duryodhana. Their loyalty was unshakeable, their courage boundless, and their military prowess formidable.

Yet despite all this strength, courage, and devotion, there existed a terrible truth—they were on the wrong path. They had aligned themselves with a man who symbolized unrighteousness, who had trampled upon justice, who had cheated his brothers, and who had publicly humiliated Draupadi in the royal assembly. Duryodhana's path was the path of injustice, and by walking this path of unrighteousness, these great warriors lost their precious lives.

What a tremendous tragedy! What immense sorrow! If these warriors had stood on the side of righteousness, if they had sided with the Pandavas, their names would have been written in golden letters in history. But due to personal loyalty to Duryodhana, bonds of relationship, or self-interest, they chose the side of unrighteousness. And the price of that wrong decision had to be paid with their lives.

Duryodhana says, "mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ"—they are prepared to sacrifice their lives for me. But here arises a question—for whom should one give one's life? Is it true heroism to sacrifice one's life for someone who is committing injustice, who is denying dharma? Or is it a terrible misstep onto the wrong path?

True heroism lies in standing for truth, fighting for righteousness, and following the will of God. But these warriors did not do that. They considered their personal relationships, their promises, and their pride to be greater than dharma. And this mistake became the cause of their destruction.

In reality, by taking the side of the sinful Duryodhana, the death of all these heroic warriors on the battlefield of Kurukshetra was inevitable. No matter how powerful they were, no matter how skilled, no matter how courageous—when one walks the path of unrighteousness, one's downfall is certain.

This teaching is not just for the battlefield of Mahabharata; it applies to each of our lives. Even in this modern age, we see people standing behind the wrong person, walking the wrong path, supporting the wrong ideals. Perhaps due to family pressure, perhaps for the sake of friendship, perhaps because of greed, perhaps out of fear. But ultimately, the consequence of walking the path of unrighteousness is always sorrowful.

Duryodhana firmly believed that due to the combined strength of his allies, his victory was inevitable. He saw numbers, he saw weapons, he saw skill. But he did not see the most important thing—on the side of the Pandavas stood Lord Sri Krishna Himself.

Where Krishna is present, there is dharma. Where there is dharma, there is victory. This is an eternal truth. Duryodhana's thousands of warriors, their strength, their courage—everything failed because they stood against God.

This verse raises a deep question in our hearts—whose side are we standing on? Which path are we walking? Is our allegiance to dharma, or to some person or self-interest?

History bears witness that those who have gone against dharma have been destroyed. Ravana was a great scholar, but he was destroyed by standing against Lord Rama. Kamsa was a powerful king, but he was slain at the hands of Lord Krishna. Duryodhana's army was vast, but by Krishna's will, they were all defeated.

This verse teaches us—external strength is never enough. True strength is spiritual strength. True victory is to receive God's grace. True success is to remain on the path of dharma.

Through this verse, Lord Sri Krishna warns us—in life, strength, skill, numbers—none of these matter if we are on the wrong path. If we stand on the side of unrighteousness, then all our strength, all our efforts will ultimately fail.

But if we remain on the path of dharma, in Krishna consciousness, then despite our external weaknesses, God will protect us and make us victorious.

Duryodhana's pride was in the strength of his army. But the Pandavas' strength was in Krishna's grace. And ultimately, Krishna's grace prevailed.

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