Chapter1- Ślokās 7,8,9
asmākaṃ tu viśiṣṭā ye tān nibodha dvijottama |
nāyakā mama sainyasya saṃjñārthaṃ tān bravīmi te || 7 ||
bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca samitiṃ-jayaḥ |
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattis tathaiva ca || 8 ||
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ |
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-visāradāḥ || 9 ||
(1.7,1.8,1.9)
dvijottama- O best among Brāhmaṇas; nibodha- be informed as I speak; tān- about those; viśiṣtāḥ ye (santi)- army chiefs of exceptional calibre (who are there); asmākam tu- on our side; bravīmi- I shall tell; tān- about those; nāyakāḥ mama sainyasya- chiefs of my army; te- to you; sangñārthaṃ- for your information;
bhavān- You, our most respectable Guru Droṇāchārya; bhiṣmaḥ ca- Bhīṣma pitāmaha (grandfather); karnaḥ ca-and Karṇa; samitiṅjayaḥ kṛpaḥ ca- and Kṛpāchārya who is always victorious in battle; aśvatthāmā- Droṇāchārya’s son Aśvatthāma; vikarṇaḥ ca- and Duryodhana’s brother Vikarṇa; ca- and; saumadattiḥ- Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta; tathā- as well as; eva- certainly; anye- other; bahavaḥ sūrāḥ ca- heroic warriors too; nānā śaśtra praharnāḥ- possessors of many mantra invoked weapons and war instruments; sarve yuddha visāradāḥ- expertly skilled in warfare; tyakta jīvitāḥ- who are determined to give up their lives; madarthe- for my sake;
Note: The Sanskṛt word 'santi- who are there' is added for better understanding of the meaning.
Purport
After speaking about the chiefs of the Pāṇḍava army in the previous three ślokas, Duryodhana in these three ślokas goes on to describe the chiefs in his own army.
Duryodhana’s anxiety and insecurity are reflected in his words, “O best of Brāhmanas, be informed as I speak about the army chiefs of exceptional calibre on our side. For your information, I shall now tell you about them. I will name them to refresh your memory. Yourself (Droṇa), Bhīṣma, Karṇa, the victorious Kṛpa, Aśvatthāma, Vikarṇa and Jayadratha, the son of Somadatta. There are many more experts in weaponry and the art of warfare who are determined to give up their lives for my sake.”
dvijottama (Best among the twice born) Upanayanam or the sacred thread ceremony marks the second birth for a Brāhmaṇa (learned priestly class), Kṣatriya (warrior/administrative class) or Vaiśya (merchant or agricultural class). They are then called 'dvija'. Duryodhana purposely addressed Droṇācārya in this way to remind him that he must display his valour in the battlefield keeping aside any limiting factors and thus uphold his reputation of being an uttama dvija (a Brāhmaṇa of highest standards).
bhavān (You, our revered ācārya). Duryodhana was concerned that their own army chief Droṇācārya favoured the Pāṇḍavas (especially Arjuna), even though he was the ācārya for all of them alike. Therefore, while naming the chiefs in his army, Duryodhana started with Droṇācārya first to alert Droṇa that he was supposed to display his valour and be loyal. Duryodhana's insecurity was showing in his tone, mannerism and usage of words.
bhīṣmasca 'The grandsire Bhīṣma', the commander in chief of his army, the grand-uncle (father’s uncle having the status of a grandfather) of both Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas, the strongest force to reckon with, had special liking for the Pāṇḍavas and Kṛṣna. Duryodhana was deeply concerned about this.
karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca ... anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā
Karṇa Karṇa was the abandoned first child of Kunti devi for fear of the society. Kunti devi was granted the
boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods by invoking a mantra (sacred chant). She
invoked the sun god to confirm if the mantra worked and as a result Karṇa was born to an unmarried Kunti.
He was raised by a charioteer and his wife. Insulted by the Pāṇḍavas during a competition, he was helped
and befriended by Duryodhana. His true identity was revealed to him on the battle field. Being duty-bound,
he fully supported his benefactor Duryodhana till the end. However, he promised Kunti devi that he would kill
only Arjuna and none of his other half-brothers.
Kṛpa Kṛpa and his sister Kṛpi were born prematurely from Rishi Śaradvān when he saw the apsara Jānapati.
After the battle, Kṛpācārya was appointed by Yudhiṣṭhira to tutor the young prince Parikṣit.
Aśvatthāmā Aśvatthāma was the son of Kṛpi and Droṇa. He learnt the art of warfare from his father and
was the last appointed commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. He killed the five sons of Draupadi
mistaking them for the five Pāṇḍavas and was severely humiliated by the Pāṇḍavas for this. In revenge,
he tried to kill the unborn son of Abhimanyu named Parīkṣit, who was the sole heir to the Pāṇḍava dynasty.
Parīkṣit was saved by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Vikarṇa Vikarṇa was Duryodhanā's brother who was killed by Bhīma.
Somadatta Somadatta was a scion of the Kuru dynasty. He and his equally renowned son Jayadratha (also
known as Bhūriśrava), a highly accomplished warrior, were both killed in the battle by Sātyaki.
Though Karṇa and the other valiant warriors listed above were part of Duryodhana's army, not all of them were mahārathis like the chiefs of the Pāṇḍava army.
mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ 'The one good quality in all of them is that they have given up even their lives for my sake'. By saying so, Duryodhana himself declared that they were all destined to die on the battlefield and what was destined was inevitable.
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ With these words, Duryodhana meant to say that, 'Though all of them are valiant, possess varied weapons, and are adept in warfare, unlike those in the Pāṇḍava army, all of them are not mahārathis.'