Sanskrit
भवान्भीष्मश्च कर्णश्च कृपश्च समितिञ्जयः । अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश्च सौमदत्तिस्तथैव च ॥
bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca samitiñjayaḥ aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattis tathaiva ca
Translation
Thou, Lord, and Bhîshma, and Karna and Kripa, conquering in battle; Ashvatthâmâ, Vikarna, and Saumadatti also;
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The Kaurava roster opens with Drona himself, then Bhîshma — the two senior figures whose presence on this side of the field is exactly what will trouble Arjuna once the armies come into view in verse 26.
Study deeper
Word by word
- bhavānभवान्
- yourself — Droṇa
- bhīṣmaś caभीष्मश् च
- and Bhīṣma
- karṇaś caकर्णश् च
- and Karṇa
- kṛpaś caकृपश् च
- and Kṛpa
- samitiñjayaḥसमितिञ्जयः
- ever-victorious in battle
- aśvatthāmāअश्वत्थामा
- Aśvatthāmā — Droṇa's son
- vikarṇaś caविकर्णश् च
- and Vikarṇa
- saumadattisसौमदत्तिस्
- Somadatta's son — Bhūriśravā
- tathaiva caतथैव च
- and likewise
Commentary
Site Commentary
Of everyone in this roster, the very first name is “thou” — Duryodhana lists Drona, his actual listener, ahead of Bhîshma, the army’s real commander-in-chief. Whom a list names first is rarely neutral information; it’s often a signal of whose reassurance the speaker needs most, not necessarily who did the most.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you notice yourself naming a particular person first in a list of thanks or credit, check whether it reflects merit or whether it's really about whose approval you need — both are fine, but know which one you're doing.
Professional
- When reviewing who gets named first in stakeholder call-outs or credit lists, notice it often signals who is being managed rather than who contributed most — useful information about the room, not just about the work.
Family & Social
- When a sibling or relative gets named first in shared family credit or blame, notice whether it's about accuracy or about social management — both happen, and it's worth knowing which.
Ask yourself
A few ways to take this verse past reading. Ticks and the note stay in this browser.