(Gita-2) Our strong tendency to resist the Truth || Acharya Prashant, on Bhagavad Gita (2023)
Acharya Prashant (AP): Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, chapter one, verse 21.
We have seen so far, the predicament of the one who finds himself hopelessly caged against the Truth. We have seen the anxiety and the nervousness of Duryodhana in the first half of the first chapter. In spite of having a larger army and more experienced fighters, Duryodhana still is in an internal turmoil. Numbers suggest to him that all is well with his side, yet those numbers he can sense are just a loose mass. There is no center to keep those numbers together, and that's what is making him almost delirious.
He approaches Drona and it is very strange, starts counting to him the names of the warriors on the Pandava side, as if Drona does not know. And having told Drona of the warriors and the strength on the Pandava side, he tells him the Pandavas are well and sufficient in terms of strength—their force is paryāpta, sufficient. And my side, in spite of having fighters like you and the hundred brothers and the invincible Bhisma, we are still insufficient. It's as if in a moment of epiphany, reality has struck Duryodhana. He sees that he has lost out on the one central thing that enables you to fight any war in life. He has missed out on Krishna, even though he always had the opportunity to have him.
In terms of relationship, formal relationship, Krishna and Duryodhana are almost as near as are Krishna and Arjuna, almost. In terms of access too, Duryodhana was never unfortunate or deprived. But he never realized that one central thing that's important in life; therefore, he never knew what to choose. Therefore, he was rather elated when he got Krishna’s army rather than Krishna himself. And even more so, when he learnt that Krishna is not going to pick up weapons during the war. He didn't realize the value of consciousness compared to the value of material.
