Ego is strengthened By Possessions or People Who We Consider “My”

अन्ये च बहव: शूरा मदर्थे त्यक्तजीविता: |
नानाशस्त्रप्रहरणा: सर्वे युद्धविशारदा: || 1.9||

Anye cha bahavaḥ śhūrā madarthe tyaktajīvitāḥ
nānā-śhastra-praharaṇāḥ sarve yuddha-viśhāradāḥ

Shloka Translation

BG – Ch. 1- Ver. 9: Duryodhana said: We have several other heroic soldiers who have committed to offering their lives for me, in addition to our leaders. They’re all well-versed in the art of battle and have a variety of weaponry at their disposal and have mastered the art of combat.

Explanation

Duryodhana made the mistake of attempting to impress Dronacharya by praising his army. His ego emerged as a result of this, as demonstrated by prideful words such as “they will give up their life for me.” He was most likely trying to convince (or fool) himself that his army was in good shape to win the fight.

Verse & What We Can Learn?

Man Power – Having persons to support us (parents, siblings, relatives, friend’s acquaintances, etc) & Material Power – things such as (authority, money, land, material things, etc) increases our Ego when we consider them ours.

 Accepting whatever that we ‘have’ and ‘enjoy’ in our life as Almighty’s “Prasad” leads to surrender and gratitude, whereas considering them as “Mine” leads to ego and pride.

In the next verse, also we will see how Duryodhana talks with ego to his Guru praising great warriors like Bhishma who are on Kauravas side.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…