Control the tongue through chanting and prasadam; transcend birth and death through Krishna consciousness.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 1.8–10 — July 12, 1973, London 730712BG-LONDON [26:44 Minutes] Bg-01.08–10_730712BG-LONDON Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [break] bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca samitiṁ-jayaḥ aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattis tathaiva ca [Bg. 1.8] [break] anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ [Bg. 1.9] aparyāptaṁ tad asmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam paryāptaṁ tv idam eteṣāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam [Bg. 1.10] [break] [leads chanting of synonyms to Bg 1.10] aparyāptam—immeasurable; tat—that; asmākam—of ours; balam—strength; bhīṣma—by Grandfather Bhīṣma; abhirakṣitam—perfectly protected; paryāptam—limited; tu—but; idam—all these; eteṣām—of the Pāṇḍavas; balam—strength; bhīma—by Bhīma; abhirakṣitam—carefully protected. [02:51] Translation: "Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhīṣma, whereas the strength of the Pāṇḍavas, carefully protected by Bhīma, is limited." Prabhupāda: Hm. So Duryodhana is very proud of his strength, military strength. Because he was empowered, he could gather. And over and above that, Bhīṣma is the commander-in-chief.
He is giving protection. And on the other side, the Pāṇḍavas, they are not empowered. Somehow or other, they gathered some soldiers from relatives. Therefore their strength was limited in consideration of the other party.
And that is, being protected by Bhīma. Duryodhana always considered Bhīma as a fool. Therefore he is very much confident that "Our side is being protected by Bhīṣma, and the other side, although Bhīma is very strong, but he has no brain very much." So he was very hopeful of victory. But in the previous verse he says, anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ. Tyakta-jīvitāḥ means "They have come to lay down their life for me." This is a foretelling, because actually, whoever joined the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, none of them returned.
Tyakta-jīvitāḥ. So it is already concluded that although Duryodhana is very much proud of his military strength, protected by Bhīṣma, still, tyakta-jīvitāḥ, they would surely die. This is the conclusion. Nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ. No..., not a single person inexperienced was there.
Yuddha-viśāradāḥ. Viśārada means very expert fighting. Still, they would have to lay down their life, because it is Kṛṣṇa's plan that all these fighting men, they were not ruling properly according to the tenets of Vedic injunctions. Therefore they were demons.
Military strength for self-aggrandizement is demonic. Military strength is required to rule over the kingdom, but not to misuse them for aggression to others' country or others' kingdom. That was not allowed. So when Kṛṣṇa appeared, there were many kings. Although they were under the ruling of the Pāṇḍavas, still, Hastināpura, still they were fighting.
That is natural. If one has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then his strength and opulence would be misused. And if one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he would use his strength and opulence very properly. So these kings were meant for giving protection to the citizen, to train them to the Vedic conception of life.