Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 9
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविताः।
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः।।
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः।।
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ
also searched as "anye cha bahavah shura madarthe tyaktajivitah"
Translation
And there are many other heroes who are determined to give up their lives for my sake. They are all experts in using manifold missiles and dexterous in battle.
Vāṇi's rendering
And many more heroes besides, armed and skilled in war, ready to lay down their lives for me.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अन्येanye | others |
| चca | and |
| बहवःbahavaḥ | many |
| शूराःśūrā | heroes, brave men (visarga lost before the next word) |
| मदर्थेmad-arthe | for my sake, on my account |
| त्यक्तजीविताःtyakta-jīvitāḥ | having given up their lives, ready to die |
| नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणाःnānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ | striking with weapons of many kinds |
| सर्वेsarve | all of them |
| युद्धविशारदाःyuddha-viśāradāḥ | skilled in war |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 9 mean?
Duryodhana continues listing his warriors to Droṇa — many more heroes, all armed, all trained, all willing to die. The words mad-arthe, for my sake, give him away. He describes their courage but claims it as his own possession, and the counting itself sounds less like confidence than like a man reassuring himself.
Why does Duryodhana say the warriors will die for his sake?
Because he cannot say they will die for dharma. Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa — each stands on the Kaurava side out of obligation, debt, or oath, not conviction. Duryodhana knows this, so he names the only bond he trusts: personal loyalty to him. It is the honest confession hidden inside a boast.
What does anye cha bahavah shura mean?
It means 'and many other heroes besides' — men whose names Duryodhana does not bother to give. They are courage in bulk, weapons and skill counted like inventory. The Gītā records their bravery without praising the cause that spends it, and that silence is the verse's judgment.
Is courage always a virtue according to the Gita?
Courage is real here, and never mocked. But the Gītā keeps asking what a quality is joined to. Skill in war, willingness to die, weapons mastered over a lifetime — all of it can serve a man's vanity as easily as it serves dharma. The strength is yours; the direction you must choose.
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Commentary
Count them. Duryodhana is still counting — after Bhīṣma, after Karṇa, there are many more, and he cannot stop. A man sure of his strength names it once. The tell is in two words: mad-arthe, for my sake. Not for dharma, not for the kingdom — for me. He has bought their deaths in advance and says so aloud, as though loyalty were stock to be inventoried. These men are brave; that is not in doubt. What is in doubt is what their bravery is spent on. Before you count what you have, ask whose name it is being counted for.