Dharma is protected by diverse strengths working together.
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः।धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः।।
kāśyaś ca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś ca sātyakiś cāparājitaḥ
Use this verse when you need to value different strengths in your team.
Meaning
The great archer king of Kashi, Shikhandi the mighty warrior, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki also stood there.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
More warriors are named, each representing courage in a different form. Strength is not one-dimensional; dharma needs many kinds of courage.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
The Pandava side includes diverse warriors: kings, archers, commanders, and unconquered fighters. This reminds us that a meaningful mission needs many forms of strength. Some people bring strategy, some resilience, some moral courage, some execution, some loyalty. In modern organizations and families, problems arise when we value only one type of talent. The Gita’s battlefield becomes a mirror for collaboration: dharma is protected when different strengths stand together without ego.
Read the traditional commentary
The roll-call of Pandava allies continues with the same attention given to the Kaurava side, creating a symmetry that reflects the balanced and dharmic structure of the narrative. Shikhandi is a particularly significant figure — born as a woman in a previous life, reborn as a man, and destined to be the instrument of Bhishma's death. The forces of karma work through unlikely vessels.
Satyaki is called 'aparājita' — the unconquered. He was Arjuna's student and is one of the few warriors from the Pandava side who will survive the war. His epithet gestures toward a deeper truth: there is a dimension of the self that cannot be defeated, not because it is physically invincible but because it remains in alignment with dharma.
This verse, like its counterparts, invites reflection on the allies we have gathered through our lives — those who stand with us in difficult times. The quality of those bonds, forged in righteousness and mutual respect, determines the resilience of what we undertake together.
In daily life
Respect different talents instead of expecting everyone to contribute in the same way.
In a product team, the coder, designer, marketer, and customer-support person each protect the mission differently.
Try this today
Appreciate one person today for a strength different from your own.
I honor every sincere strength that serves dharma.Reflect
Which strength in others do I fail to appreciate?
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Quick check
What does ‘परमेष्वासः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on dharma, in other chapters
- Verse 4.7When righteousness declines, a restoring force always arises — injustice is never the final word.
- Verse 7.11Strength and desire are sacred when freed from greed and aligned with what is right — refine your longings rather than crush them.
- Verse 9.2The highest spiritual path is also the most accessible — a purifying truth you can verify in your own direct experience.
- Verse 10.28Life's elemental energies — power, abundance, love — are sacred when rightly directed toward their Divine source.
Swipe left for 1.18 · Shared purpose becomes stronger when individual voices are respected.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 1.17
Who says Bhagavad Gita 1.17, and to whom?
Sanjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra in verse 1.17, in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma (Arjuna Vishada Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 1.17 mean?
The great archer king of Kashi, Shikhandi the mighty warrior, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, and the unconquered Satyaki also stood there. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 1.17 for daily life?
Respect different talents instead of expecting everyone to contribute in the same way. In a product team, the coder, designer, marketer, and customer-support person each protect the mission differently.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 1.17 mean?
काश्यः — the King of Kashi; परमेष्वासः — supreme bowman; शिखण्डी — Shikhandi; महारथः — great chariot-warrior; धृष्टद्युम्नः — Dhrishtadyumna.
Where does verse 1.17 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 17 of 47 in Chapter 1, Arjuna's Dilemma. The next verse is 1.18.