Gita 01.16 – Yudhishthira doesn’t come first in the list of warriors but is still their undisputed leader.

 

Audio link 1: Gita 01.16 Yudhishthira doesn’t come first in the list of warriors but is still their undisputed leader

 

anantavijayaṁ rājā

kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca

sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau

 

Word for word: 

ananta-vijayam — the conch named Ananta-vijaya; rājā — the king; kuntī-putraḥ — the son of Kuntī;yudhiṣṭhiraḥ — Yudhiṣṭhira; nakulaḥ — Nakula; sahadevaḥ — Sahadeva; ca — and; sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau — the conches named Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka

 

Translation: 

King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka.

 

Explanation:

The description of the Pāṇḍavas’ response spans three verses (14 through 16). It first depicts Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on a chariot, followed by Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, and Bhīma blowing their conches, and finally, Yudhiṣṭhira, Nakula, and Sahadeva blowing theirs.

 

Anantavijayaṁ rājā, kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ: ‘Rājā’ refers to Yudhiṣṭhira, the rightful king. It can also refer to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, as mentioned by Sañjaya. Yudhiṣṭhira’s conch is called Ananta-vijaya. ‘Sughoṣa’ and ‘Maṇipuṣpaka’ are the names of Nakula’s and Sahadeva’s conches, respectively.

 

It’s interesting that this is the first reference to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just as Duryodhana overlooks Kṛṣṇa, he also misses out on Yudhiṣṭhira. Duryodhana does not understand the power of virtue at all, focusing solely on the power of strength and cunning. In his assessment of the opposing army, he leaves out the king, Yudhiṣṭhira, which is very striking—he does not consider Yudhiṣṭhira a formidable warrior worthy of specific mention.

 

While it is true that Bhīma and Arjuna were more powerful, Yudhiṣṭhira also fights throughout the Kurukṣetra war. Although he does not achieve any major noteworthy victories, he plays a crucial role on the final day when he fells Shalya, the last commander of the Kauravas, officially ending the battle. By that time, Duryodhana has fled, and Bhīma eventually defeats him. Later, Aśvatthāmā attacks the Pāṇḍava camp at night and must also be brought down.

 

Despite the ongoing hostilities, Yudhiṣṭhira has his moment on the final day when he fells the commander of the opposing army. However, before this, he faces several difficult challenges. One time, Drona is entirely focused on trying to arrest him, and Yudhiṣṭhira barely escapes on the eleventh and twelfth days. On the sixteenth day, when Karṇa becomes the commander, he knocks Yudhiṣṭhira down. Though Karṇa could have killed him, he chooses to spare his life. These instances reveal times when Yudhiṣṭhira is defeated and almost humiliated by his opponents.

 

It’s interesting that Yudhiṣṭhira’s lack of prominence as a hero in the Pāṇḍava army does not diminish the regard the other Pāṇḍavas have for him. Arjuna and Bhīma don’t question why Yudhiṣṭhira should be king just because he isn’t as strong as they are. A king’s qualifications go beyond military prowess. While military skill is crucial in times of war, it is not the only important quality. Other qualities, such as virtue, knowledge of dharma, and the ability to administer fairly and justly, are equally important. The king must wear many hats and play various roles. He needs to defend the kingdom, be skilled with weapons or strategies to fight, or at least be shrewd enough to appoint those who excel in these areas.

 

In today’s world, we often observe a division of power among the judiciary, legislature, administration, and military. Historically, a king was responsible for administering justice, ensuring laws were passed, managing the country’s administration, and defending it from external aggressors.

 

Yudhiṣṭhira was especially renowned for his knowledge of dharma, earning him the title Dharmarāja. Although he may not have been as formidable a warrior as his younger brothers Bhīma and Arjuna, this did not disqualify him as a king. It is important to recognize that a king does not need to possess only one set of qualifications, and the absence of a particular trait does not render a ruler unworthy. Leadership requires a variety of abilities, and these abilities are provided accordingly. No one possesses all qualities, but whatever strengths we have, we should use them in the spirit of service. Our task is to find the service that enables us to utilize those qualities in the best way.

 

This is reciprocal, meaning that, at one level, we understand the virtues, qualities, abilities, and skills required for a position. If a person meets these criteria significantly in major areas and reasonably in others, they can be considered for that position.

 

Yudhiṣṭhira, of course, was the unquestioned leader of the Pāṇḍavas, not just because he was the eldest among them, but also because he was the wisest. Some may argue that if he were truly wise, how could he have gambled excessively? That was a circumstantial lapse of judgment. A person should not be defined by one bad action in their life. If someone has led an overall virtuous life and makes a mistake on one occasion, which may be grievous enough to taint their reputation, we must remember that we all have urges within us. Sometimes, external circumstances and our own internal disposition can trigger these urges to a shocking degree. Still, the urge is defined by its surge; we are not. This means we need to recognize that this is a dangerous urge within us, and others may also need to recognize that this is particularly a problem for this person.

 

For instance, some people may struggle with alcoholism, but that doesn’t mean they should be seen only as alcoholics. Yes, they may need to keep a distance from alcohol and exercise special caution while interacting in situations where drinks are available, but beyond that, they have their own lives, personalities, and qualities that deserve to be appreciated.

 

Yudhiṣṭhira, when considering his overall life, was exemplarily dharmic, and we shouldn’t define people solely by their lapses, no matter how grievous those might be. We need to look at their entire character and appreciate them based on that. While Yudhiṣṭhira may have lacked certain virtues—he wasn’t the foremost warrior and had a moment of poor judgment—his position remains great despite these shortcomings.

 

Thank you.