Bhagavad Gita · Arjuna Vishada YogaChapter 1, Shloka 9 (1.9)
Original Sanskrit · दुर्योधनः
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः
॥ 1.9 ॥
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ
nānāśastrapraharaṇāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ
Translation
"And there are many other heroes, ready to lay down their lives for me; all of them are armed with many kinds of weapons and skilled in the art of war."
Interpretation
"Madarthe" — for me. This word is the centre of the shloka. Duryodhana says all these heroes are ready to give their lives for me. According to Madhusudana, with this sentence Duryodhana wants to show how deep their attachment (anurāga) to him is. In describing the Pandava army, Duryodhana listed the warriors' strength; in describing his own army, he emphasises loyalty to himself. His centre is "I".
"Tyakta-jīvitāḥ" — an unwitting truth. Literally this compound means "those who have given up their lives." Many modern teachers see a tragic irony in this word: Duryodhana is praising their courage, but the reader who knows the story knows that most of them really will lose their lives in this war. This is an interpretation — the traditional commentators take the word only in the sense of "ready to give their lives" (resolve).
Equipment and skill. With "naana-shastra-praharanaah" and "yuddha-vishaaradaah", Duryodhana claims that his army has both weapons and skill. Madhusudana sums up: with these epithets Duryodhana displays his army's numbers, devotion to him, valour, readiness for battle and skill in war — all of it.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.