BHAGAVAD GEETA – 7 : Swami Advayanandaji.

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Chapter-1.

Arjuna Vishadha yogam  (“Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency” )

Sri Veda Vyasaji

Discourse – 1 (47 Slogas)

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Tuesday, 30 May , 2023. 08:00.

Post - 7.

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Slogam - 8 : The Kaurava Commanders & Generals – Nos. 1-7.

1 

Bhavaan Bheeshmah cha Karnah cha   =  Yourself, Bhishma and Karna;

2 

Kripah cha samitinjaya;   =  and also Kripa, the victorious in war;

3 

Ashvatthaamaa Vikarnah cha   =  Ashwatthama, Vikarna, and

4 

Saumadattih tathaa eva cha.   =  so also the son of Somadatta (Bhurishrava).

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1 

20 Pandava generals were mentioned above. Their counterparts are now being 

named by Duryodhana. Drona and Bhishma are in overall charge of the Kaurava armies. 

Karna is third in line in the Kaurava leadership.

1-4 

From Kripacharya to Bhurishrava, another four Army Generals, are named, 

making up seven. And then he suddenly stops altogether – what about the others?

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Slokam - 9 : The Arrogance of Duryodhana

1 

Anye cha bahavah shooraah   =  And many other heroes also who are

2 

mad-arthe tyakta jeevitaah;   =  determined to give up their lives for my sake;

3 

naanaa shastra praharanaah   =  armed with various weapons and missiles,

4 

sarve yudha vishaaradaah.   =  all well-skilled in battle.

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1 

The remaining generals are not even named! Could it be that Duryodhana was 

getting impatient with the silence of Drona, and wanted to move on and talk to Bhishma, as 

he does in the next verse? Or was he unable to remember the rest of his generals due to his 

agitated state of mind? Or was it just that he was too preoccupied with himself to bother 

about all the names of his generals? His words show increasing signs of egoism.

2 

In “for my sake”, he sees himself more as the sole reason for waging such a 

fratricidal war. This is the ugly face of dictatorship in politics. The leader cares not for the 

lives of the people whom he leads, but only for his own lust for power. Dictatorships have 

ruined the lives of millions of people throughout history.

Pujya Gurudev says, “The incorrigible vanity of the dictatorial tyrant is amply clear 

when he arrogates to himself the stupendous honour that such a vast array of heroes had 

come ready to lay down their lives ‘for my sake’.”

3-4 

 is certainly an anti-climax to taper off so suddenly when it comes to his own 

generals. Such scant praise for his own men! He is not in the present moment, not up to the 

occasion. His mind seems to be more perturbed about the result of the war.

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Slogam - 10 : The Mental Agitation of Duryodhana

1 

Aparyaaptam tad asmaakam   =  Insufficient (or unlimited) is this, our

2 

balam Bheeshma abhirakshitam;   =  army, commanded by Bhishma;

3 

paryaaptam tu idam eteshaam   =  whereas sufficient (or limited) is that, their

4 

balam Bheema abhirakshitam.   =  army, commanded by Bhima.

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This slogam strikingly brings out the state of mental confusion reigning in Duryodhana. 

Gripped by cowardly fear of the Pandavas by realizing their superior moral strength despite 

numerical disadvantage, Duryodhana makes two errors that reveal his state :

1 & 3 i) Aparyaptam, Paryaptam: 

Paryaptam has two meanings, ‘limited’ and  ‘sufficient’. 

These meanings are the opposite of each other. Duryodhana intends the words 

in the former sense – his army is unlimited, while the Pandavas are limited. This takes into 

account purely the quantitative factor.

But from the standpoint of the Truth, the second meaning applies. It would mean 

the Kauravas are insufficient, while the Pandavas are sufficient. This takes into account the 

qualitative factor. With Sri Krishna on the Pandavas side, the Pandavas become sufficient. 

Without the Presence of the Divine, the Kauravas are insufficient. The measure of 

sufficiency is the placement of Sri Krishna.

Truly, Sri Veda Vyasa has to be credited with ingenuity for such usage of words! The 

literary skill of Sage Vyasa cannot be overlooked. The war on the battlefield is being 

matched by the ‘war with words’ that emerges in his poetry!

2 & 4 ii) 

Bheeshma, Bheema: Duryodhana is placing Bhishma as the Chief 

Commander of the Kauravas; and Yudhishthira has placed Bhima as the Chief Commander of 

the Pandavas. Duryodhana makes no mention of Drona. He seems to have moved away 

from Dronacharya and walked towards the direction of Bhishma. We do not hear of Drona.

In the next slogam Duryodhana is addressing the army directly, a job that should have 

been entrusted to Dronacharya, the more junior of his two Commanders-in-Chief. This is 

surely going to tell on Dronacharya’s performance in the war . . .

*****

Next

Slogam - 11: Duryodhana Ignores Drona

To be continued

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