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Chapter 1. Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra TEXT 11 ayanesu ca sarvesu
SYNONYMS  ayanesu--in
the strategic points; ca--also; sarvesu--everywhere; yatha-bhagam--as
they are differently arranged; avasthitah--situated; bhismam--unto
Grandfather Bhisma; eva--certainly; abhiraksantu--support
may be given; bhavantah--all of you; sarve--respectively;
eva--certainly;
hi--and exactly.
TRANSLATION Now all of
you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective
strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
PURPORT Duryodhana,
after praising the prowess of Bhisma, further considered that others might
think that they had been considered less important, so in his usual diplomatic
way, he tried to adjust the situation in the above words. He emphasized
that Bhismadeva was undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he was an old man,
so everyone must especially think of his protection from all sides. He
might become engaged in the fight, and the enemy might take advantage of
his full engagement on one side. Therefore, it was important that other
heroes would not leave their strategic positions and allow the enemy to
break the phalanx. Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus
depended on the presence of Bhismadeva. He was confident of the full support
of Bhismadeva and Dronacarya in the battle because he well knew that they
did not even speak a word when Arjuna's wife Draupadi, in her helpless
condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced
to strip naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly.
Although he knew that the two generals had some sort of affection for the
Pandavas, he hoped that all such affection would now be completely given
up by them, as was customary during the gambling performances.
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