BG 01.09 anye ca bahavah sura... cited

Expressions researched:
"anye ca bahavah sura" |"mad-arthe tyakta-jivitah" |"nana-sastra-praharanah" |"sarve yuddha-visaradah"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 1.9, Translation and Purport:

There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.

As far as the others are concerned—like Jayadratha, Kṛtavarmā and Śalya—all are determined to lay down their lives for Duryodhana's sake. In other words, it is already concluded that all of them would die in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for joining the party of the sinful Duryodhana. Duryodhana was, of course, confident of his victory on account of the above-mentioned combined strength of his friends.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:

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 said, anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ (BG 1.9). 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 demoniac. 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 citizens, to train them to the Vedic conception of life. But they were not doing that. Therefore they were demons.