Verses 1.8-9

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verses 1.8-9:

भवान् भीष्मश् च कर्णश् च कृपश् च समितिञ्जयः ।
अश्वत्थामा विकर्णश् च सौमदत्तिर् जयद्रथः ॥ ८ ॥
अन्ये च बहवः शूरा मद्-अर्थे त्यक्त-जीविताः ॥
नाना-शस्त्र-प्रहरणाः सर्वे युद्ध-विशारदाः ॥ ९ ॥

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca kṛpaś ca samitiñjayaḥ |
aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca saumadattir jayadrathaḥ || 8 ||
anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ |
nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ || 9 ||

bhavān–your good self (Droṇācārya); bhīṣmah–Grandfather Bhīṣma; ca–and; karṇaḥ–Karṇa; ca–and; kṛpaḥ–Kṛpācārya; ca–and; samitiñjayaḥ–always victorious in battle; aśvatthāmā–Aśvatthāmā; vikarṇaḥ–Vikarṇa; ca–also; saumadattiḥ–Bhūriśravā, the son of Somadatta;jayad-rathaḥ–the king of Sindhu, Jayadratha; anye–other (than those mentioned before) ca–also; bahavaḥ–many; śūrāḥ–heroes; mat-arthe–for my sake; tyakta-jīvitāḥ–(bound by a vow) to give up their life; nānā–many; śastra–weapons;praharaṇāḥ–beautifully equipped with; sarve–all of them; yuddha-viśāradāḥ–expert in warfare.

In my army, there are heroes like your good self (Droṇācārya), Grandfather Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpācārya, who is ever-victorious in battle, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa, Bhūriśravā (the son of Somadatta) and Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu. There are many other heroes who are prepared to give up their lives for my sake. All are equipped with varieties of weapons and are expert in warfare.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Here the word saumadattiḥ refers to Bhūriśravā. Tyakta-jīvitāḥ denotes a person who is determined to do whatever is required of him, having properly realized that he will be greatly benefited, whether he survives or not. In the Gītā (11.33) Bhagavān says, “O Arjuna, all these persons have already been killed by Me; you need only become an instrument.” In accordance with this statement, Sarasvatī-devī made the word tyakta-jīvitāḥ come from the mouth of Duryodhana, indicating that his army had already been destroyed.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Kṛpācārya: In the lineage of the great sage Gautama, there was a saint by the name of Śaradvān. Once, after seeing the beautiful heavenly damsel Jānapadī, his semen spontaneously fell on a clump of forest grass. This semen became divided in two parts, from which a boy and a girl were born. The girl was named Kṛpī and the boy, Kṛpa. Kṛpa later became renowned as a great warrior. Śaradvān Ṛṣi personally endowed Kṛpa with expertise in the science of archery and other arts. Kṛpa was exceedingly valiant and pious. In the battle of Mahābhārata, he fought on the side of the Kauravas. After the battle, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira appointed him to train Prince Parīkṣit.

Aśvatthāmā: Kṛpī, the sister of Kṛpācārya, was married to Droṇācārya. From her womb, Aśvatthāmā was born. Aśvatthāmā was a combination of portions of Lord Śiva, of the God of death, Yama, and of lust and anger. He learned the scriptures and the science of weaponry from his father, Droṇācārya. He also accepted the responsibility of being the last commander-in-chief of the Kauravas in the battle of Mahābhārata. He murdered the five sons of Draupadī while they were in deep sleep, having mistaken them for the five Pāṇḍavas. In retaliation, the Pāṇḍavas insulted him severely, and forcibly removed a jewel that was a part of his forehead. After this insult, he burned with anger and attempted to kill the unborn Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who was the sole heir to the Pāṇḍava dynasty. He targeted his brahmāstra weapon at the child in the womb of Uttarā, the wife of Abhimanyu. However, Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is always affectionate to His devotees, invoked His weapon named Sudarśana cakra to protect Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the womb.

Vikarṇa: Vikarṇa was one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

He was killed by Bhīmasena in the Mahābhārata War.

Somadatta: Somadatta was the son of Bāhlīka and the grandson of King Pratīka of the Kuru dynasty. In the battle of Mahābhārata, he was killed by Sātyaki.

Bhūriśravā: Bhūriśravā was the son of King Somadatta in the dynasty of the moon (candra-vaṃśa). He was a highly courageous and famous king. In the Mahābhārata conflict, he was killed by Sātyakī.

Śastra: This refers to a weapon such as a sword that is used to kill others in hand-to-hand combat.

Astra: A weapon such as an arrow that is released at the enemy.