Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 10
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम्।
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम्।।
पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम्।।
aparyāptaṁ tadasmākaṁ balaṁ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam
paryāptaṁ tvidameteṣāṁ balaṁ bhīmābhirakṣitam
also searched as "aparyaptam tadasmakam balam bhishmabhirakshitam"
Translation
Our force is inadequate, guarded by Bhisma, while their force is adequate, guarded by Bhima.
Vāṇi's rendering
Our force, guarded by Bhishma, is beyond measure; theirs, guarded by Bhima, is small.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अपर्याप्तम्aparyāptam | beyond measure, not to be counted (also read as 'insufficient' — the word carries both) |
| तत्tat | that |
| अस्माकम्asmākam | of ours |
| बलम्balam | force, army strength |
| भीष्म-अभिरक्षितम्bhīṣma-abhirakṣitam | fully guarded by Bhishma |
| पर्याप्तम्paryāptam | measurable, limited, easily counted |
| तुtu | but, whereas |
| इदम्idam | this (sandhi: tu + idam becomes tvidam) |
| एतेषाम्eteṣām | of these men, theirs |
| बलम्balam | force, army strength |
| भीम-अभिरक्षितम्bhīma-abhirakṣitam | fully guarded by Bhima |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 10 mean?
Duryodhana compares the two armies to his teacher Drona, calling his own force guarded by Bhishma immeasurable and the Pāṇḍava force guarded by Bhima small. It reads as confidence. It behaves as anxiety — a man reassuring himself out loud, in front of the one teacher whose heart he is unsure of.
What does aparyaptam tadasmakam balam bhishmabhirakshitam mean?
Literally, 'that force of ours, guarded by Bhishma, is aparyāptam.' The word can mean beyond counting or not enough, and commentators have split on it for centuries. Both readings fit Duryodhana. He is large in speech and small in certainty, and the verse lets you hear both at once.
Why does Duryodhana compare the two armies?
Because he cannot stop measuring. He has already told Drona to look at the enemy formation; now he weighs it against his own. Comparison is how fear thinks it is being strategic. Nothing in the count changes a single arrow that will fly the next morning.
Is Duryodhana confident or afraid in this verse?
Both, and that is the point. The Gītā places his boast immediately before he asks every commander to protect Bhishma. Real confidence does not need reassurance in the next breath. Watch the sentence that follows any claim you make about your own strength.
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Commentary
Duryodhana is counting. He has just listed his own commanders name by name, and now he tallies the two armies and declares his own beyond measure. Notice who he says it to — his teacher, whose loyalty he doubts. A man certain of his strength does not narrate it. The word aparyāptam has been read both ways for centuries, boundless and insufficient, and the ambiguity is honest: boast and fear use the same sentence. Fear speaks in numbers. When you find yourself listing your advantages aloud to someone, stop and ask what the list is for.