Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 -Arjuna Vishada Yoga - Sloka 10

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbahavananda's translation of  The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Chapter 1 - Sloka 10

Aparyaptam tadh asmakam balam bhishmabhi rakshitam I

Paryaptam tvidham ethesam balam bhimabhi rakshitam II

Multitudinous is our army marshalled by Bhishma, but meagre is the army marshalled by Bhima.

Vainglory is paramount in the demoniac but the days of their destruction draw near. Words of self-aggrandisement they egotistically indulge in, contain very often a meaning derogatory to themselves. This tragic irony of fate is found in the utterance of Duryodhana. He is right in estimating the valour of Bhishma superior to that of Bhima, his sworn enemy. But he unwittingly spells ruin to himself when he delights in depicting Bhima's army as meagre while praising Bhishma's army as multitudinous. He uses the term paryaptam and aparyaptamrespectively.  Paryaptam not only means meagre, it also means limited, compact, and well-disciplined.  Aparyaptam, on the other hand means unlimited, unwieldy and indisciplined. This makes a world of difference between the two forces. The strength and victory of an army does not depend on its bulk, but on its training and team spirit. Though limited in number, the Pandava forces are trim and equal to any eventuality. The Kaurava forces are on the other hand, promiscuous and placed together pellmell. Duryodhana's boast therefore stands self condemned.

Again the ethical excellence of Bhishma ever remains beyond the ken of the worldly-minded.Duryodhana. This divinely gifted and invincible man has no doubt consented to wage war wholeheartedly for the Kauravas. There is no sacrifice greater than this that an upright man can make. But at heart he knew that Dharma alone was going to triumph in the end his word, he chooses to champion the cause of the wicked, only to prove that no power on earth or heaven can make adharma victorious. Bhishma is in no way tainted by taking sides with the wicked, because of his being supremely above selfishness. The tenet "Be active in the world, but be not of the world", is exemplified in his perplexing character. 

As a corollary to the utterance of Duryodhana, there is a fact to be taken into account, in regard to the lives of nations. That nation thrives best, which is compact, well knit, trained and tuned to be an ideal. The other nation, which is multitudinous, loosely knit and divergent in outlook, lingers and vegetates.