Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 8
भवान्भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिञ्जयः।
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च।।
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च।।
bhavānbhīṣmaśca karṇaśca kṛpaśca samitiñjayaḥ
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaśca saumadattis tathaiva ca
also searched as "bhavan bhishmashcha karnashcha kripashcha samitinjayah"
Translation
Yourself, Bhisma, Karna, the victorious Krpa, Asvatthama, Vikarna, and Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta;
Vāṇi's rendering
Yourself and Bhishma; Karna, and Kripa who wins his battles; Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and Somadatta's son.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भवान्bhavān | your good self — Duryodhana addressing Drona |
| भीष्मःbhīṣmaś | Bhishma (sandhi: bhīṣmaḥ + ca becomes bhīṣmaśca) |
| चca | and |
| कर्णःkarṇaś | Karna (sandhi: karṇaḥ + ca) |
| चca | and |
| कृपःkṛpaś | Kripa (sandhi: kṛpaḥ + ca) |
| चca | and |
| समितिञ्जयःsamitiñjayaḥ | one who conquers in battle, ever victorious in combat |
| अश्वत्थामाaśvatthāmā | Ashvatthama, Drona's son |
| विकर्णःvikarṇaś | Vikarna (sandhi: vikarṇaḥ + ca) |
| चca | and |
| सौमदत्तिःsaumadattis | the son of Somadatta (sandhi: saumadattiḥ before tathā) |
| तथाtathā | likewise, in the same way |
| एवeva | indeed, just so |
| चca | and |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 8 mean?
Duryodhana lists the great warriors of his own side to his teacher Drona — Bhishma, Karna, Kripa the ever-victorious, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, Somadatta's son. The names are impressive and the listing is anxious. He is reassuring himself aloud, in front of the one man whose loyalty he most doubts.
What does bhavan bhishmashcha karnashcha kripashcha samitinjayah mean?
It means: yourself and Bhishma, Karna, and Kripa who conquers in battle. Duryodhana places Drona before even Bhishma, the elder — a courtesy that flatters. Samitiñjayaḥ, victorious in combat, is the kind of epithet a nervous man reaches for when praise must do the work of trust.
Why does Duryodhana name his own warriors instead of asking Drona for advice?
Because he is not seeking counsel; he is seeking steadiness. A man sure of his army does not inventory it. The list is armour made of syllables. Krishna will later teach Arjuna to act without clutching outcomes — here we see the opposite habit, tallying assets to quiet a fear already inside.
Who is Saumadatti in this verse?
Saumadatti is the son of Somadatta — Bhurishrava, a Kaurava-side warrior of the Bahlika line. He appears at the end of Duryodhana's roll call, one more name added to the weight. The Gītā gives him no speech; he exists here only as a number in someone else's reassurance.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Duryodhana is counting. He names Drona first — yourself, teacher — then Bhishma, then Karna, then Kripa, who wins his battles. It sounds like confidence. It is arithmetic done by a frightened man. He has just seen the other army and come running to his teacher; now he steadies himself by reciting names, the way you recite your qualifications before a room you fear. Notice that no one asked him for this list. The strength he names is real. The need to name it is the tell. When you find yourself totalling what you have, ask what you just saw that made the total necessary.