Chapter 1, Verse 8
भवान्भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिञ्जयः। अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च।।
bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca samitiñjayaḥ aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattis tathaiva ca
Meaning
There are yourself (Drona), Bhishma, Karna, Kripa who is ever-victorious, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and Bhurishrava, the son of Somadatta.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Duryodhana names the titans of his own side — Bhishma the grandsire, Karna the tragic hero, Drona the master archer, and others. Each name carries the weight of a legend. Yet even in this proud recitation, there is pathos: most of these warriors — including Bhishma and Drona — have deep affection for the Pandavas and will fight against their own hearts throughout the battle.
Karna's presence in this list is especially charged. Born to Kunti (Arjuna's own mother), he is fighting on the side that opposes his blood brothers, bound by loyalty to Duryodhana who was kind to him when the world rejected him. The complexity of dharmic obligation — to loyalty, to birth, to truth — is compressed into these few names.
For the modern reader, these verses echo the painful reality that our greatest conflicts often involve people we love or respect on both sides. The capacity to hold that complexity without collapsing into hatred or denial is one of the Gita's deepest teachings.
💡 Key Takeaway
Our deepest conflicts rarely pit good against evil; they pit competing goods and obligations — hold that complexity with honesty.
Related Verses
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः | मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥१॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ | māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya ||1||
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?
सञ्जय उवाच दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा। आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत्।।
sañjaya uvāca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadā ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt
Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle formation, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words.
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम्। व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता।।
paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām ācārya mahatīṁ camūm vyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā
O teacher, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, so skilfully arrayed by the son of Drupada — your own talented student.