Having named the various warriors on both sides Duryodhana now declares that his own army is superior.
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् |
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् || 10||
aparyāptaṁ tadasmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣhmābhirakṣhitam
paryāptaṁ tvidameteṣhāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣhitam
aparyāptam—unlimited; tat—that; asmākam—ours; balam—strength; bhīṣhma—by Grandsire Bheeshma; abhirakṣhitam—safely marshalled; paryāptam—limited; tu—but; idam—this; eteṣhām—their; balam—strength; bhīma—Bheem; abhirakṣhitam—carefully marshalled
Translation:
But this army of ours, protected by Bhishma, is unlimited, and that army of theirs, protected by Bhima, is limited.
After praising the strength of his warriors, Duryodhana compares the two armies. He says his army is more powerful than the Pandavas’ army. He declares, “Our army, protected by Bhishma, is unbeatable, while their army, guarded by Bhima, is easy to defeat.”
Duryodhana tries to prove that his army is stronger. He points out that his army has many great generals and is led by Bhishma, the greatest warrior alive. Bhishma even defeated the great Parashurama in battle. Also, Duryodhana’s army has more soldiers, outnumbering the Pandava army by four divisions. With this strength, Duryodhana believes no one can defeat his army.
In the Mahabharata, Udyogaparva, Chapter 55, Duryodhana similarly describes his army to Dhritarashtra. He names almost all the great warriors and emphasizes that Bhishma’s protection makes the army invincible. He confidently says, “O King, most of the fighters in the enemy’s ranks lack significant qualities, while our fighters have great promise.” He believes there is no reason to fear defeat.
In the Bhishma-Parva, Duryodhana again describes his army to Dronacharya and repeats the same verse from the Gita (Bhishma-Parva, 51.6). In the previous verse, he says, “All of you great warriors have the power to kill the Pandavas and their entire army by yourselves. It should be no surprise, then, if you defeat them together.”
These points show that Duryodhana uses the word ‘Aparyaptam’ in the verse to highlight the strength of his army. He says this to boost the morale of the warriors on his side. The context in which Duryodhana speaks this verse always supports this interpretation.
अयनेषु च सर्वेषु यथाभागमवस्थिता: |
भीष्ममेवाभिरक्षन्तु भवन्त: सर्व एव हि || 11||
ayaneṣhu cha sarveṣhu yathā-bhāgamavasthitāḥ
bhīṣhmamevābhirakṣhantu bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi
ayaneṣhu—at the strategic points; cha—also; sarveṣhu—all; yathā-bhāgam—in respective position; avasthitāḥ—situated; bhīṣhmam—to Grandsire Bheeshma; eva—only; abhirakṣhantu—defend; bhavantaḥ—you; sarve—all; eva hi—even as
Translation:
Now take your proper places in front of your marshalled troops and protect Bhishma alone.
By describing the Pandava army as guarded by Bhima and ‘Paryaptam’ (easy to defeat), Duryodhana tries to show it as weaker. He points out that while Bhishma is the protector of his army, Bhima—though physically strong—is not equal to Bhishma as a warrior. Bhishma is unmatched in warfare, knowledge of arms, and intellect, while Bhima is not a skilled archer and has limited intellect. Therefore, Duryodhana sees the Pandava army as ‘Paryaptam’—limited in power and easily defeated by the Kauravas.
After declaring his army as unbeatable with Bhishma’s protection, Duryodhana orders his generals, including Dronacharya, to protect Bhishma from all sides. He commands, “Therefore, stationed in your respective positions on all fronts, guard Bhishma in particular from all sides.”
While Bhishma could protect himself, Duryodhana knew that Bhishma had declared he would not fight Shikhandi—Drupada’s son, who was born female and later became male. Bhishma still saw Shikhandi as female and, according to the warrior code, would not fight him. This is why Duryodhana, during an earlier review of the army, warned Dushasana and the other warriors about this danger (Mahabharata, Bhishma 15.14-20). Now, Duryodhana again urges all the main generals to hold their positions strongly and ensure Shikhandi does not confront Bhishma. If they could keep Shikhandi away from Bhishma, there would be nothing else for the Kauravas to fear, as Bhishma could defeat all the great warriors in the Pandava army.
In the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, the focus of the war is placed on Arjuna. However, here in the Gita, Duryodhana claims that Bhima is the protector of the Pandava army, while Bhishma protects the Kaurava army. Could Duryodhana’s focus on Bhima as the opponent suggest that he saw Bhima as his true rival? This point is worth considering.
Although the war eventually revolves around Arjuna, this is realized only later—after the war ends. Those who know the full outcome of the war might say that the entire conflict revolved around Arjuna. But those at the start of the war could not have thought this way. For Duryodhana, the possibility of war arose mainly because of Bhima. There were reasons for this. Even Duryodhana could not fully trust someone as righteous as Arjuna in the war. He had an unconscious belief that Arjuna might hesitate or even leave the battlefield. Duryodhana believed that if the war continued, it would depend on Bhima. Warriors like Bhima, who were less intellectual but more powerful, could be relied upon in battle.
Arjuna is intelligent, and where there is intelligence, there is doubt; where there is doubt, there is conflict. Arjuna is thoughtful, and this thoughtfulness brings the ability to see the full picture, making it difficult to enter a situation like war without hesitation. Duryodhana could trust Bhima for the war because Bhima and Duryodhana were similar in nature, sharing the same instincts and motivations. Therefore, if Duryodhana saw Bhima as the center of the other side, he was not wrong. The Gita later shows that Arjuna indeed hesitated, almost appearing to want to escape. This was the possibility Duryodhana had anticipated: the war would be difficult for Arjuna, and he could only commit to it after a deep change in himself.
Bhima, on the other hand, was ready for war as he was. For Bhima, as for Duryodhana, war was natural. Therefore, if Duryodhana focused on Bhima, it was not an accident. But this was the beginning of the war. What the outcome would be, Duryodhana did not know. We know now, looking back.
Life often does not end the way it begins. The end is always uncertain and unpredictable. What we think will happen often does not. Life is an unknown journey, and the initial thoughts or plans rarely match the final outcome. While we may try to shape our destiny, we cannot fully control it. The outcome is often different from what we expect.
Duryodhana believed that Bhima would remain central to the conflict. If Bhima had indeed remained at the center, then Duryodhana’s belief in his victory might have proven correct. But Duryodhana did not foresee the twists of fate that would occur. Krishna, an unforeseen force, changed the entire course of events. When Krishna pushed Arjuna into the war despite his reluctance, it surprised those reading the story for the first time.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, for example, was shocked when he first read it. What Arjuna said might seem right to many religious people, who would find his arguments convincing. Henry David Thoreau, too, was surprised when Krishna advised Arjuna to go to war. Even Gandhi struggled with this part of the Gita.
But life does not follow fixed paths; it is as unique as a river, not bound by rigid tracks. When the divine intervenes, it disrupts all human plans and expectations. Therefore, Duryodhana never imagined that God would intervene in the war. What he expressed at the beginning was just the initial thought, much like the thoughts we all have at the start of any journey. Yet, as the unknown intervenes, the story changes.
If we reflect on life, we often find that what we thought would happen did not; where we expected success, we faced failure; what we sought for happiness brought sorrow; and what we never desired brought unexpected joy. Everything turns out differently.
But only a few people are wise enough to consider the end first. Most people, like Duryodhana, focus on the beginning. If Duryodhana had considered the end first, the war might not have happened. But Duryodhana could not see the end; he believed it would turn out as he expected. That is why he repeatedly asserted that although the Pandavas had great warriors, victory would be his. He believed that his warriors were ready to sacrifice their lives to ensure his victory.
Yet, no matter how much effort is exerted, falsehood cannot win. Even a lifetime of effort cannot make falsehood triumph. Duryodhana lacked the understanding to grasp this. Truth, which may seem to be losing at first, wins in the end. Falsehood may appear to win at the start, but it is ultimately defeated. This is the nature of truth and falsehood.
The Gita shows that the victory Duryodhana was so sure of was not in his hands, nor in the hands of Bhishma, nor in anyone else’s. The victory rested with truth, and the divine was on the side of truth.
This truth is what shapes history, and no human plan can change its outcome. As the Gita unfolds, we see that the final result was nothing like Duryodhana expected. And this is why we must always be humble, understanding that no matter how strong our plans or how certain our beliefs, life and the universe can surprise us in ways we could never imagine.