Sanskrit
अपर्याप्तं तदस्माकं बलं भीष्माभिरक्षितम् । पर्याप्तं त्विदमेतेषां बलं भीमाभिरक्षितम् ॥
aparyāptaṃ tad asmākaṃ balaṃ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam paryāptaṃ tv idam eteṣāṃ balaṃ bhīmābhirakṣitam
Translation
Yet insufficient seems this army of ours, though marshalled by Bhîshma, while that army of theirs seems sufficient, though marshalled by Bhîma;
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
After two rosters of names, the anxiety underneath them surfaces directly: despite Bhîshma’s command, Duryodhana judges his own vastly larger army insufficient against the Pândavas’. Traditional commentators have actually split on this verse’s reading — some take “aparyāptam” as “unlimited” rather than “insufficient,” reversing which army he’s calling weak — a rare case of real ambiguity in an otherwise plainly worded verse.
Study deeper
Word by word
- aparyāptaṃअपर्याप्तं
- unlimited — though the word can equally read 'insufficient', and commentators split on which Duryodhana meant
- tadतद्
- that
- asmākaṃअस्माकं
- our
- balaṃबलं
- force
- bhīṣmābhi-rakṣitamभीष्माभि-रक्षितं
- guarded by Bhīṣma
- paryāptaṃपर्याप्तं
- limited — or 'sufficient'
- tv idamत्व् इदं
- but this
- eteṣāṃएतेषां
- of theirs
- balaṃबलं
- force
- bhīmābhi-rakṣitamभीमाभि-रक्षितं
- guarded by Bhīma
Commentary
Site Commentary
Everything in verses 3 through 9 read like confidence — a long, detailed roster built to project strength. This verse quietly undoes that performance: the same man who built the case for his own army’s power is the one now judging it insufficient. A public show of confidence and a private assessment aren’t always the same document, and this is the verse where the gap between them surfaces.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When your public display of confidence and your private read of a situation don't match, treat the mismatch as real data worth acting on, not as a contradiction to smooth over.
Professional
- If your team's external messaging projects confidence while you privately doubt capacity, close that gap deliberately before it costs you — don't let the performance run further ahead of the honest assessment.
Family & Social
- If you're putting on a brave face for family while privately worried, say the private version out loud to at least one person you trust, rather than letting the performance be the only version anyone ever hears.
Ask yourself
A few ways to take this verse past reading. Ticks and the note stay in this browser.
Reflect on this verse
Keep exploring
Topics